Source: Fortune
Summary
The right-to-repair movement is gaining momentum in the US, with bipartisan support in Congress for legislation that would make it easier and cheaper for consumers to repair their devices. The movement is a response to the growing problem of electronic waste, with the US producing 43 lbs of e-waste per person annually, and only 25% of it being recycled. The origins of the legal and technical obstacles to product repairs lie in debates in the 1980s over new media and copyright guardrails, particularly the rise of VCRs and the film industry’s efforts to stop the technology. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 provided a broad legal framework for technological locks, which has since expanded to include software and has made it difficult for third-party repairers to alter or bypass proprietary software.
Our Reading
The announcement sounds familiar. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 has had far-reaching consequences, including the proliferation of electronic waste and the restriction of consumers’ ability to repair their devices. The law was meant to protect the intellectual rights of the creative industries, but it has ultimately hurt consumers’ pocketbooks. The right-to-repair movement is a response to this problem, with bipartisan support in Congress for legislation that would make it easier and cheaper for consumers to repair their devices. The industry’s efforts to block consumers and third-party repair shops from fixing their products have been successful, but at what cost?
The numbers tell one story: 43 lbs of e-waste per person annually, with only 25% of it being recycled. But the real story is the growing resentment among consumers who are tired of being forced to buy new products instead of repairing old ones.
Author: Evan Null
