Indian government starts work on right to repair rules
- Reference: 1658139310
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/07/18/india_right_to_repair_framework/
- Source link:
The committee set up to address the matter identified mobile phones and tablets as priorities at its first meeting last week.
The Ministry drew upon two separate initiatives to justify the endeavor: India’s Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) movement and its AatmaNirbhar Bharat self-suffiency drive.
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By establishing the right to repair within India, the government reckons it can bolster sustainable consumption and e-waste reduction.
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"A product that cannot be repaired or falls under planned obsolescence i.e. designing a product with an artificially limited useful life, not only becomes e-waste but also forces the consumers to buy new products for want of any repair to reuse it," stated the Ministry. "Thus, restricting the repair of products forces consumers to deliberately make a choice to purchase a new model of that product."
And just as buying those new models throws some cash back to overseas OEMs like Samsung, Apple, and Xiaomi, forcing the right to repair theoretically redirects some of that money to domestic employment.
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The Ministry [5]asserted that third-party repairs could serve as "a catalyst for employment generation through AatmaNirbhar Bharat."
"Fortunately, in our country, there exists a vibrant repair service sector and third-party repairs, including those who cannibalize the products for providing spare parts for circular economy," said the Ministry.
[6]Google to sell replacement Pixel phone parts via iFixit
[7]New York to get first right-to-repair law for electronics
[8]India's Internet Association ends crypto advocacy to do something more productive
[9]EU Apple suit alleges anticompetitive Apple Pay practices
In its first meeting, the Committee identified some of the challenges that funnel people toward new purchases over repairs – including companies that don’t publish their manuals, proprietary control over spare parts, and warranties that go void if you seek repair external to the manufacturer.
The Ministry called the legal rights of owners "damaged" when contracts refuse to cede full control.
The Committee concluded:
During the deliberations, it was felt that the tech companies should provide complete knowledge and access to manuals, schematics, and software updates and to which the software license shouldn’t limit the transparency of the product in sale.
The parts and tools to service devices, including diagnostic tools, should be made available to third parties, including individuals so that the product can be repaired if there are minor glitches.
The Ministry drew on similar right to repair efforts in the US, UK, Australia and EU as evidence of the strategy's ability to succeed.
"In USA, the Federal Trade Commission has directed manufacturers to remedy unfair anti-competitive practices and asked them to make sure that consumers can make repairs, either themselves or by a third-party agency."
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Last month, New York state passed the [11]Digital Fair Repair Act which, assuming it becomes law, will be the first US state legislation to address the repairability of electronic devices.
California killed a [12]similar bill in late May. Although its unknown why the popular bill did not pass, many fingers are pointing at the lobbying efforts of the tech companies located within the state.
In April, [13]Apple launched its self-repair service, thereby doing an about face to previous lobbying efforts that would prevent such measures. The effort was [14]panned by repair advocacy groups as a mere marketing ploy that would benefit Apple through the delay of any legislation of the matter, when it emerged that the program was extremely strict regarding aftermarket parts. ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
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[5] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1841403
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/08/google_pixel_repair/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/03/new_york_repair/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/18/indias_internet_association_quits_cryptoboosting/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/02/eu_apple_suit_alleges_anticompetitive/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YtWDqlCGve9kwoC6wbrpYQAAAMg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/03/new_york_repair/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/01/california_repair_bill/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/27/apple_self_repair_service_launches/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/28/apple_selfservice_slammed/
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
But where will the good intentions lead?
This may be an unpopular view but my concern with the right to repair concept (which I can’t disagree with in principle) is that the legislators will overshoot and require easy repair as well. That, when implemented and enforced could return us to the time in the 60’s and 70’s when consumer goods such as TVs, radios, kettles, etc were quite easy to repair (and part-time work doing so, whilst a student, nicely supplemented my grants/loans). The problem was that it often needed repairing because the very act of making repair easy resulted in more points of failure. As TV electronics became more integrated and difficult to repair, the number of repairs (per unit sold) reduced. If we had the same reliability as 40 years ago, with the vastly greater number of units sold, all the empty high street units would be full of repair shops.
The current bête noir is often the iPhone and its battery. My experience with mobile phones over the past 30 years has been that the iPhone has been the most reliable and, any time I’ve needed a battery replacement, it’s been no more expensive than it used to cost for, say, a common Nokia.
Taking the automotive sector, most cars are far harder to repair nowadays, but the current situation where routine services are annual/10,000 miles and, even then, little more than an oil and filter change - and no need to tinker between services to maintain performance - would have seemed utopia when I first got a car.
Yes, we need the right to repair, and access to manuals, tools and spares, but not at the expense of increasing the *need* for repair.
I hope they hit Apple
right in the knackers.
Popcorn time?
Given the somewhat ... searching for an adjective here ... Well, maybe "problematic" ... Not exactly what I had in mind, but I guess it'll have to do.
Given the somewhat problematic results of India's previous attempts at tech regulation, one wonders exactly what wondrous, but likely impractical, regulation(s) will be forthcoming as a result of this effort. If nothing else, India's right to repair regulations will likely be entertaining. ... If you don't have to figure out how to comply with them.
Re: Popcorn time?
I should make it clear. I'm 100% in favor of right to repair legislation. Stringent Right to Repair legislation. I'm just a bit skeptical of India's ability to craft such legislation and get it right on their first try.
India is right
It's so obvious that only lobbying from MegaTechCorps can derail the right to repair. Name and shame them for a start.