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Apple, Google & Microsoft Have Teamed up to Block the Right-to-Repair Law
Apple, Google & Microsoft Have Teamed up to Block the Right-to-Repair Law:
Bloomberg today released a report on how companies like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google are working together to put a stop to laws that would make it necessary for companies to provide device schematics, genuine repair parts, and repair manuals to independent repair technicians.
Almost 27 states have considered the laws in 2021 alone, but in more than half of them, the laws have been voted down or dismissed. Many lobbyists and trade groups representing tech companies have fought hard against this law with Apple pointing out that such measures could lead to device damage or consumers harming themselves when attempting to repair their devices.
In Washington, for example, Washington House of Representatives Democrat Mia Gregerson sponsored a Right to Repair measure that was fought by Microsoft, Google, Amazon, along with lobbyists representing Apple. Lobbyists later said that Apple would endorse repair programs at local colleges if the bill was dropped.
Also at Bloomberg and MacRumors.
See also: Leaked Apple Documents Inadvertently Helped the Right-to-Repair Movement
Louis Rossmann Starts a GoFundMe to Get "Right to Repair" Legistation Passed Through a Direct Ballot
Summary Louis Rossmann, electronics repairman and YouTuber, has started a nonprofit and GoFundMe campaign to fight to get right to repair legislation passed through direct ballot initiatives. For years Louis has talked about the importance of right to repair and how it has become more difficult t...
Right to repair series - Louis Rossmann
In this series he specifically explains why we need better right to repair laws.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyM7FxEaShI
Original Submission #1 Original Submission #2 Original Submission #3
(Score: 5, Insightful) by sjames on Friday May 21 2021, @09:11PM
The problem is that the trend keeps growing. You used to be able to buy and install John Deere parts. Replaceable batteries used to be a given.
The other day, Rossmann posted a video about Asus claiming that the thickness of a thermal pad was proprietary information. Some munchkin flagged the video as abusive content on Facebook.
The illegal practice of claiming warranty is void if the user opens the case is nearly ubiquitous. Third parties that work out schematics and repair procedures for themselves tend to get nastygrams from legal teams. Some devices even have custom chips that are nothing more than an off the shelf part with a couple pins reversed just to prevent 3rd parties from being able to get repair parts. Dell dipped a few toes in that water when they produced a series of mainboards with pin-swapped power connectors such that plugging in a standard ATX power supply would blow the board.
It's worth fighting today so that tomorrow we won't find that all the things are disposable crap.