Advocates, Tinkerers Fight for Their 'Right to Repair' Devices

[ChrisSmolinski]

With electronics becoming ever harder to fix because of design and legal restrictions, a loose coalition of repair professionals and environmentalists is putting the screws to manufacturers that they claim are fattening their bottom lines by deliberately engineering disposability into their products.

Loosely known as the "right to repair" movement, its advocates say the ability to tinker with products you own is a basic property right and necessary to create a healthy sustainable market. Many efforts by manufacturers to block repairs, they maintain, are intended to force consumers to buy new products or expensive warranties — not protect their intellectual property.

"We've been getting picked at little by little over 20 years," Gay Gordon-Byrne, the founder and director of the Repair Association, said of the erosion of repairability in a host of consumer products, especially electronics.

Full article: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/advocates-tinkerers-fight-their-right-repair-devices-n641931?cid=sm_fb

[redhat]

This reminds me of a documentary about the lightbulb cartel and planned obsolescence called 'the light bulb conspiracy'.  The doc itself is good, san the socialist spin.

https://youtu.be/zdh7_PA8GZU

+-RH

[BoomboxDX]

I think there's some merit to allowing people to attempt to fix an electronic device. Some devices now are unopenable unless you take a hammer or chisel to it. :-)