EU repair rights bill tells manufacturers to fix up or ship out
- Reference: 1707211811
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/02/06/european_parliament_repair_rights/
- Source link:
Negotiations over the [1]bill have been [2]ongoing for a while now - the rules were first proposed in March 2022, and the hope is that new requirements will be finalized in 2024.
The thinking is that consumers should be better informed about the lifespan and repairability of products before buying them, and there should be measures to boost repair after the legal guarantee period has expired.
[3]
All told, the bill looks set to bolster the repair sector. Manufacturers must make spare parts and tools available for "a reasonable price" and be prohibited from using contractual clauses or hardware or software blocks to obstruct repairs. While singling no company out specifically, the European Parliament said: "In particular, they should not impede the use of second-hand or 3D issued spare parts by independent repairers."
[4]
[5]
The Register contacted Apple for comment, but the company has yet to respond. It has [6]acquired a reputation for parts pairing, where components must receive the company's blessing before use.
Other consumer rights in the deal include options for borrowing a device while their own is being repaired or opting for a refurbished unit, an additional one-year extension of the legal guarantee for repaired goods, and free online access to indicative repair prices.
[7]What to make of Google backing Right-to-Repair in Oregon? 'It gives me hope'
[8]UK government lays out plan to divert people's broken gizmos from landfill
[9]Fairphone 5 scores a perfect 10 from iFixit for repairability
[10]Right-to-repair fight going national as FTC asked to lay down the law
Under teh regulation, manufacturers must inform customers of the duty to repair and be obligated to fix "common household products," such as a washing machine or smartphone. The European Parliament has left open the possibility of adding more items over time.
To assist with sorting out repairs, the European Parliament expects an online platform to be set up, with national sections to connect consumers with local repair shops and vendors of refurbished goods. It will also be possible to find buyers of defective items.
[11]
Each member state will be required to introduce at least one measure aimed at promoting repair – for example, a reduction in taxation on repair services or information campaigns.
René Repasi of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats said: "The agreement introduces an extra 12 months of legal guarantee for products and ensures independent repairers have improved access to spare parts. Furthermore it prohibits manufacturers from using contractual clauses, software and hardware techniques that hinder repair."
It will be a while before this all goes into effect, though. Once both Council and Parliament adopt the directive, member states will have 24 months to get it into national law. ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20240129IPR17216/deal-on-strengthening-consumers-right-to-repair
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/21/right_to_repair/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZcIRWS7vvyePyvsHIMU-DwAAAdY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZcIRWS7vvyePyvsHIMU-DwAAAdY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] 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=33ZcIRWS7vvyePyvsHIMU-DwAAAdY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/28/apple_selfservice_slammed/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/google_endorses_right_to_repair/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/02/uk_government_recycling/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/07/fairphone_5_repairability/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/15/righttorepair_ftc_petition/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZcIRWS7vvyePyvsHIMU-DwAAAdY&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: This is what the EU is for
Glue is fine. Problem is with spare parts. If a chip on the board dies, you are unlikely to get a replacement today.
Then the issue of locking down - manufacturers should be forced to release any tools required for pairing the chips.
If they are worried about security, they can ensure the chip's data (if applicable) is wiped before new pairing.
3rd party components don't have to be inferior, sometimes 3rd can be better if manufacturer cheaps out and puts under specced parts in the product.
I haven't read
the bill but its probably not going to be good enough.
I remember in the late 80s the TV in the back room packing up. My mums friend from work popped round with her husband who was an electrician or engineer. I remember it like it was yesterday. He layed the TV on the floor, opened the back and there were the schematics for the TV in the back of the case, not hidden somewhere secret away from repair engineers. He traced the fault, did his solder repairs, put the back back on, TV repaired. That TV lasted several years after that so avoided landfill.
Now, however, we're fucked. The big corps have realised people will still buy stuff even if its made to fail early. All the shitty little paid for feature creep, people moan about but still pay. Much like my partner with Amazon Prime. We've had it a few years and the point being you pay for it to have NO ADVERTS in the movies or shows.
Now, however, greed has set in and Amazon will include adverts but if you don't want those adverts with Prime, you have to pay a few extra pounds each month! WTF! So I've let the sub expire. She's asked me how long the protest will go before she can have Prime back. And this is the issue, I know she'll probably end up getting her own sub, but this is why they continue this model as they know people will just pay.
If we all stopped buying (easier said than done) they'd be forced to make kit repairable again to get customers back.
Re: I haven't read
Same here - two guitar amps bought in the 80s have cct diagrams inside them. I can still buy the inlet valves for my Trigger's-Broom Hotpoint washing machine, although I think the bearings might have finally gone obsolete.
Re: I haven't read
Today if you include schematics with the product, you may expect 20 clones show up on Amazing in few week's time at fraction of the price, because they didn't have to spend much time and money on R&D, testing, certification and whatnot.
You cannot copyright a schematic (apart from what it looks like, not what it does or represents), so once it's up anyone can make their own product from it.
Only protection is firmware, which has more legal protection, so other companies cannot just take it, but they can certainly write their own (with the schematic at hand it is fairly easy) and if product is simple, that is not a barrier.
So it's not always about making people buy new stuff rather than being able to repair.
Even if you give schematics to authorised or trusted repair shops, competition can persuade them with brown envelopes or else to share the schematics.
Re: I haven't read
I don't think that schematics would help for much of our modern electronics: if the mainboard is broken, you're out of luck. But it is true that far too much stuff "breaks" purely because of a faulty capacitor or power circuit.
Get the conditions right, and just as you have with cars, it's easy enough to create a market for this. But, and here's the rub, don't necessarily expect devices to much cheaper over their lifetimes.
This is what the EU is for
I totally support this bill, and I fervently hope that it will be put into application ASAP.
Enough with the glue and the locking down. Yes, I know that if I buy an unreliable 3rd-party bit of kit and put it in your shiny shiny altar of purity I might be disappointed by the experience.
That's on me.
You just need to train your support drones to find that out and say "well, we can't do anything if you buy inferior parts".
Job done.
And it's not like it'll cost you much.