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{"id":2045,"date":"2024-04-05T07:06:52","date_gmt":"2024-04-05T07:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aitesonics.com\/the-right-to-repair-movement-won-its-biggest-victories-in-2023-143010331\/"},"modified":"2024-04-05T07:06:52","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T07:06:52","slug":"the-right-to-repair-movement-won-its-biggest-victories-in-2023-143010331","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aitesonics.com\/the-right-to-repair-movement-won-its-biggest-victories-in-2023-143010331\/","title":{"rendered":"The Right to Repair movement won its biggest victories in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a banner year for the Right to Repair movement as supportive bills are signed<\/a> into law<\/a> across the US and abroad. Apple shocked the world, too, as it backed California\u2019s bill<\/a> and urged for a countrywide equivalent. In the EU, regulators mandated the use of USB-C as a standard charging socket for most small devices, and are now turning their attention toward anti-repair tactics. But, while the movement\u2019s leaders should enjoy a glass or two of the good stuff, these victories aren\u2019t total, despite how hard-won they were. To misquote Winston Churchill, this isn\u2019t the beginning of the end, it\u2019s very much the end of the beginning.<\/p>\n

In the last year we\u2019ve seen bills enacted in New York, Colorado, Minnesota and California. New York\u2019s was famously watered down<\/a> by late-in-the-day politicking which neutered some of its key provisions. That included protections for existing devices (instead, it kicks in for hardware made after July 1, 2023), obligations to supply individual parts rather than bundles and it now omits any coverage for enterprise-grade electronics like those used in schools and hospitals. Minnesota\u2019s survived with more teeth, albeit with generous carve-outs to manufacturers of farm equipment, games consoles and cars.<\/p>\n

California\u2019s bill<\/a> which, interestingly, won Apple\u2019s backing, kicks in next year with the company saying it\u2019ll support its provisions countrywide. And given that support, you should expect to see this bill pushed as the model for any future federal legislation. It broadly covers consumer tech and appliances, but exempts games consoles and security equipment. Key provisions require companies to sell components under \u201cfair and reasonable terms\u201d to owners and third-party repair shops long after the last model leaves the factory. Devices with a wholesale price between $50 and $99.99 need to have parts, tools and repair guides available for at least three years after the last new model is made. For gear costing more than $100, the parts need to stick around for \u201cat least seven years\u201d regardless of individual warranty periods. Similarly, tools and documentation need to be made available on a similarly "fair and reasonable" basis. There are carve-outs, including protections on trade secrets and source code, but the bones of the bill are solid enough.<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Chamberlain, Director of Sustainability at iFixit, told Engadget it\u2019s \u201cthe strongest'' bill passed in the US, and one of the most comprehensive. (That\u2019s less of a compliment given the paucity of alternative legislation also enacted.) The requirements for parts to remain available for so long after purchase ensures \u201cpeople have the repair materials they need when they need them.\u201d Not to mention enabling independent repair stores to get \u201coriginal parts for a huge range of things without having to sign up for invasive and limiting manufacturer programs.\u201d Nathan Proctor of the Public Interest Research Group, before the bill passed, said<\/a> it would also end the onerous conditions Apple used in its Independent Repair Program. An Engadget investigation<\/a> showed that while Apple\u2019s IRP looked like a good idea on the surface, it was full of hidden charges and restrictive clauses. And as much as the iPhone 14 won plaudits for being far more repairable than its predecessors, it also used parts pairing \u2014 is a process of locking a part to a specific device, preventing users from swapping it out without the manufacturer\u2019s approval. Sadly, California\u2019s bill also does nothing to prevent parts pairing, which may explain why it won Apple\u2019s backing in the first place.<\/p>\n

In the last few years, the European Union has assumed the mantle as the major regulator of big tech, albeit with many critics<\/a>. The bloc has now mandated a common charger<\/a>, USB-C, for all mobile devices sold by the end of 2024, and all laptops by spring 2026. In November, regulators began looking at ways to encourage repairs and refurbishment over replacement<\/a> for new gear. That includes people\u2019s right to access spare parts, documentation and tools at a \u201creasonable cost\u201d \u2013 even when the device is outside its warranty period. More importantly, the draft seeks to prevent manufacturers<\/a> using \u201ccontractual, hardware or software technique\u201d to block repairs which would seem to indicate parts pairing.<\/p>\n

Anyone feeling triumphant about these wins should bear in mind the broad latitude these terms offer tech companies. Last year, Apple enabled end users to repair their own devices, but not in a way that made it easy, affordable or worthwhile. As The New York Times<\/em><\/a> found out, replacing a component required flight cases full of factory-grade hardware and a hefty deposit. It\u2019s a lot better now, but you\u2019ll still need to pay to loan the high-end gear and shoulder the risk if any of it goes missing.<\/p>\n

Upton Sinclair once wrote that a person won\u2019t grasp something if their salary relies upon them not understanding it. The tech industry\u2019s organizing principle, after all, is to sell you a new piece of gear every few years to keep its profits high. Stretching out the life of a device is bad for their bottom line (at least in the short term) which explains much of their resistance. It\u2019s why, as much as we can hope for better terms and more repairable devices, we must also be vigilant and not rest upon our laurels. The risk is that people get the right to repair their devices, but no way to actually exercise it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"