Last year saw a massive surge in the right to repair movement,
which seeks to limit manufacturers’ power to undermine repairs, by
mandating certain design decisions to facilitate independent servicing
of goods, as well as access to parts and manuals.
More than a dozen states introduced right to repair legislation, which
met with fierce opposition, led by Apple, whose recent shareholder
disclosures revealed that the company views the longevity of its
products as a serious threat to its profitability; in the EU, right to
repair regulation took on epic proportions, with grassroots fighters taking on a massive, well-funded corporate lobby.
The momentum for right to repair is only growing: independent repair is
anti-oligarchic (allowing local businesses to benefit from fixing their
neighbors’ property), environmentally necessary, and it enables
self-reliance and the ability to customize or modify your property to
suit your needs.
In an excellent roundup on Naked Capitalism, Jerri-Lynn Scofield
enumerates the many Right to Repair fights being waged across the world,
with notes on their progress.
