The Auto Care Association ACES® & PIES™ License Changes: What They Mean for the Industry

TL;DR

The Auto Care Association (ACA) changed its ACES®&PIES(TM) license structure, requiring PDM Automotive to verify that our customers hold their own subscriptions with ACA
The introduced changes and enforcement approach by ACA threatens how the industry has been functioning, leading to disruption in business processes and reversing the adoption of the industry standards
We have received many questions which we try to answer to the best of our ability in this blog post

PDM Automotive & The Auto Care Association

PDM Automotive has been a paying member of the Auto Care Association (ACA) since our inception.

We have always supported their mission: “…to protect and advance the interests of businesses providing aftermarket products and services for all classes of motor vehicles.” (Source: autocare.org)

PDM was founded by Johannes Crepon, who had been running an automotive e-commerce business since 2005 and struggled with adopting ACA’s standards, ACES® and PIES™. The value of these industry standards lies in their databases—VCdb, PCdb, PAdb, and Qdb—which provide structured industry terminologies and OEM references. However, leveraging these standards requires sophisticated software solutions, which is where service providers like PDM Automotive come in.

In addition to being a paying ACA member, PDM has sponsored ACA events and the ACPN Network. Beyond financial contributions, PDM has invested its team members’ time in speaking at industry events, advocating for data standard adoption, and serving as judges for data standard competitions.

ACES® & PIES™ license structure

For over ten years, service providers like PDM Automotive have been able to subscribe to industry standards and, without sharing the full databases with their customers, provide software solutions that help parts manufacturers structure their data by referencing the ACES® and PIES™ databases. If individual companies wanted full access to the databases, they were required to hold their own license.

The success of software solutions like PDM Automotive has supported the adoption of ACES® and PIES™ by making these complex databases accessible to small businesses across the industry. However, the broad participation of manufacturers—many of whom would have otherwise never adopted these standards—has resulted in service providers like PDM Automotive aggregating hundreds of small businesses that do not hold their own licenses.

This led Auto Care to announce an anticipated change in the licensing structure in 2022, followed by multiple drafts and feedback from service providers like PDM Automotive. Unfortunately, there was never a constructive forum for discussion with ACA. A “task force” was formed but met only once, and feedback from service providers was ignored.

Fast forward to August 2024, ACA sent out a new license agreement to service providers without any further communication. Numerous questions for clarification were raised across different channels, yet no clear responses were provided. The biggest area of concern is ACA’s reference to “derivative work,” claiming ownership over all data distributed through ACES® and PIES™ XML files. The implication is that every business using such derivative work must hold its own license—including sellers on Amazon, eBay, and Walmart, as well as mechanic shops and gas stations.

PDM's position

PDM Automotive fully supports ACA’s need to cover its costs as a non-profit organization responsible for maintaining industry standards.

We have provided multiple suggestions on how small parts manufacturers can contribute their fair share to these expenses. However, we do not believe it is feasible to charge individual jobbers for receiving data from a manufacturer when the manufacturer—and PDM Automotive—have already paid a license fee to Auto Care.

What the standards are and what they are not

The value of the ACES® and PIES™ standards primarily lies in the VCdb (Vehicle Configuration Database) and PCdb (Product Classification Database), which provide a unified definition of vehicles and part types.

However, leveraging these standards effectively requires specialized software, which is provided by service providers like PDM Automotive.

Derivative work

The biggest area of concern and uncertainty stems from ACA’s vague or undefined definition of derivative work. Once product data is created with the help of ACA’s reference tables, ACA assumes that this data becomes derivative work of its reference tables and claims ownership over the content—including factual details such as fitment, brand attributes, and technical specifications.

Under this interpretation, ACA asserts that hundreds of thousands of businesses should subscribe to an ACA license, including every seller on Amazon, eBay, Walmart, as well as mechanic shops, gas stations, and other businesses selling products of a brand that chose to reference ACA tables as part of their catalog creation.

How to move forward

PDM Automotive is seeking clarity from ACA regarding its subscription strategy and has proposed a straightforward approach:

Any supplier using ACA’s reference tables to streamline catalog data creation should contribute financially, with fees scaled based on business size.
We have offered to integrate ACA’s fees into our service, ensuring suppliers contribute without added complexity.
Unless they require direct access to ACA’s databases, receivers should not be required to subscribe.

PDM Automotive remains committed to collaborating with ACA to develop a sustainable, practical licensing framework that supports the industry’s growth while ensuring accessibility for businesses of all sizes.

Timeline of ACA’s licensing changes and PDM Automotive’s involvement

2022

January – Taylor Mitchell (Former SVP, Technology) announces an updated license structure.
May – A “Service Provider Summit” is held at the ACPN Conference.
May-June – PDM provides input to ACA’s legal counsel, Bert Hogeman.
August – PDM provides additional input during a web conference with Jim Smith and Bert Hogeman.
Late 2022 – Taylor Mitchell and Bert Hogeman leave ACA.

2023

May – Another “Service Provider Summit” takes place at the Auto Care Connect event. Jim Smith and Jonathan Larsen are introduced as the primary contacts for service providers. The service provider community reiterates its feedback to ACA.

2024

May – Another “Service Provider Summit” occurs at the Auto Care Connect event. PDM Automotive and other service providers again offer input on how the license structure could be adjusted.
August – ACA introduces a new version of the license agreement to the service provider community without prior communication, leading to widespread confusion and unanswered questions.

2025

January – PDM Automotive receives a letter from ACA threatening to discontinue PDM’s access to ACA’s reference tables, without prior communication. PDM holds a meeting with ACA CEO Bill Hanvey and legal counsel Lisa Foshee, reiterating concerns that have been raised since 2022. During the call, Lisa Foshee states that the definition of “derivative work” is being reworked, adding further uncertainty.
February – In response to ACA’s threat, PDM informs its customer base about the changes. The industry responds with many of the same unanswered questions PDM has been asking ACA. Subsequent conversations reveal that ACA plans to introduce new pricing by the end of February, adding another layer of complexity to the situation.

What you can do

We understand that these changes may feel frustrating and disruptive, especially for businesses that rely on ACES® and PIES™ to manage their product data. Our team is committed to advocating for transparency, clarity, and fairness in this process while ensuring that your business remains compliant and informed.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us: info@pdmautomotive.com

Additionally, we encourage you to voice your concerns directly to ACA:

Bill Hanvey, CEO – bill.hanvey@autocare.org
Lisa Foshee, Legal Questions – lisa.foshee@autocare.org
Jonathan Larsen, Data Standard Questions – jonathan.larsen@autocare.org
David Logan, Director, Digital Products – david.logan@autocare.org

We know these changes impact your operations, and we’ll continue to advocate for clear, fair solutions for the entire industry.

Thank you for trusting PDM Automotive—we’re in this together.