from the fix-your-own-shit dept
State laws attempting to make it cheaper and easier to repair your own tech continue to gain steam. With the recent introduction of a new “right to repair” law in Wisconsin, U.S. PIRG notes that all 50 U.S. states have now at least introduced such bills:
“This is more than a legislative landmark—it’s a tipping point. We’ve gone from a handful of passionate advocates to a nationwide call for repair autonomy,” said Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit. “People are fed up with disposable products and locked-down devices. Repair is the future, and this moment proves it.”
While U.S. consumer protection issues are a hot mess in the United States, the right to repair movement continues to be a singular bright spot. The more that giants like Apple, John Deere, and others try to monopolize repair (usually through obnoxious DRM, “parts pairing,” or legal fine print), the greater the public support for the movement seems to grow.
The catch: so far only Massachusetts, New York, Minnesota, Colorado, California, and Oregon have actually passed laws. And in some instances the bills have been watered down post-passage, like in New York, where Governor Kathy Hochul buckled to company lobbying to make the law much weaker while also exempting many of the most problematic industries.
Elsewhere, state governments just aren’t really enforcing the laws so far despite no shortage of corporate violators. Reformers can correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve yet to see a meaningful enforcement action against a major company in any of the states that have passed such legislation.
And I’d suspect that as Trump 2.0 takes aim at labor rights, civil rights, and pollution standards, most states will have their hands full facing costly legal battles across a litany of other subjects. Challenging big companies on right to repair probably won’t be a high staffing or budget priority.
That’s not to say the right to reform movement shouldn’t be hopeful. But activists and consumers alike need to understand that getting a law passed is only the first step; they’ll need to apply pressure on state officials that pass such laws, consider the issue settled, then immediately fall into a deep coma.
Filed Under: consumers, drm, hardware, ifixit, monopoly, parts pairing, reform, right to repair, us pirg
