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> People now have the right to request that manufacturers repair products that are technically repairable under EU law. This kind of misses the point though.
by shevy-java 25d ago
> People now have the right to request that manufacturers repair products that are technically repairable under EU law.
This kind of misses the point though.
Don't get me wrong, the above is nice to have as a law, but it does not
really understand the underlying problem domain. Louis Rossmann explained
it several times already; the problem was not that primarily that upstream
companies refuse to repair something, but that they deliberately make it
harder for downstream folks to repair something, for many reasons. Planned
obsolescence, trade secrets and other shenanigans, unable to purchase
replacements parts and so forth. Having a law that forces easy repairs onto
the upstream company, DOES NOT FIX THE DOWNSTREAM PROBLEM; and in some cases
it will make it worse. If the EU were serious about fighting for consumers,
they would require of all companies operating in the EU, WITHOUT EXCEPTION,
to not deliberately make it harder for downstream people to repair things.
We now live in the age of 3D printing, so really repairing anything should be
much much easier (at the least for simple materials; I understand that 3D printing
isn't that great yet with regards to tiny electronics parts). To me it seems as
if lobbyists always sneak in and worsen the legislation here. Both in the EU and in the USA.
- ninalanyon 25d agoNo one is claiming that what the EU has done is perfect but you have to start somewhere. After that you move on and improve.