A French court on Thursday found German safety standards firm TUV liable in a worldwide health scare over defective breast implants for which it gave the all-clear. The court in the southern city of Toulon ruled that TUV Rheinland had "neglected its duties of checking and vigilance" after having certified that implants made by Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) conformed to European safety rules -- even though they were subsequently found to have been made of substandard, industrial-grade silicone gel.