Limiting the ability to repair a broken device destroys independent repair shops and encourages consumers to dispose of a machine instead of fixing it. This is bad for device owners, and it contributes to the rising tide of electronic waste around the w...
My trusty Xbox is out of warranty. Although it has been a real workhorse for many years, all that swapping of discs is eventually going to kill its optical drive. I’m a fixer, and if the disc drive failed in a different kind of product, I could easily repair it by installing a new part. But this particular fix is beyond hard—it is illegal. Or at least it was until late last year.
Unlocking Section 1201 is an essential part of the broader right-to-repair movement, which aims to combat the measures that make it difficult or impossible to improve or fix electronics. Limiting the ability to repair a broken device destroys independent repair shops and encourages consumers to dispose of a machine instead of fixing it. This is bad for device owners, and it contributes to the rising tide of electronic waste around the world.
In 2021 public demand induced at least 27 U.S. states to propose legislation for enabling repairs. These laws would require manufacturers to open up access to proprietary tools and parts and make service information and schematics available to consumers. States cannot fix copyright law, however: giving my Xbox a tune-up will have to be legalized at the federal level.
Last year a coalition that included iFixit, an online repair community that I co-founded, asked the U.S. Copyright Office to make fixing things by bypassing software locks legal. Hedging our bets, we also asked for a more specific exemption: working around antipiracy schemes when replacing the disc drives on video game consoles such as Xboxes and PlayStations.
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