An illustration of two people, one carrying a repair tool and another holding a mobile phone.

Give ‘em an inch and they’ll take a mile. Stand your ground and fight for Fair Repair.

Unless you act fast your ownership rights over your devices may soon be limited. Big tech companies are currently lobbying to restrict your ability to repair or modify electronic equipment—including things like your tablets, smartphones, laptops and more.

What's the fuss?

If they were to have things their way, manufacturers would make it impossible for independent repair shops to service their products. Most of them already make it as difficult as possible by not selling original parts, not providing manuals and other documentation, or using software to block independent repair.

Right now, these same big tech companies are hijacking copyright laws to tighten their grip even more. If we don't stand in their way, manufacturers will soon monopolize control over repair. They have a vested interest in doing so in order to hike up repair prices and in the end, to drive you to buy new electronics more frequently. This is bad for you, for the free market, and for the planet.

Passing a Right to Repair bill in your home state will protect your community from manufacturers' efforts to overreach. Right to Repair bills help to:

1. Preserve healthy competition. Leaving people the choice of where and how they would like to get their electronics serviced helps to ensure that prices are fairly determined by free market principles

2. Protect the local economy. Mom-and-pop repair shops are getting unfairly squeezed out of business by manufacturers. Protecting their ability to repair will allow our neighborhood repair shops to continue operating and help keep the local economy alive.

3. Protect property rights. Device owners have the right to tinker with their own property and to decide for themselves whether they want something to be repaired (and by whom). They have the right to say how long they want to keep using their devices. Right to Repair bills keep people from being at the mercy of manufacturers, preventing manufacturers from forcing people buy new devices at their rhythm or to use their repair services.

What can I do?

Lobbyists shouldn't have all the say. Your voice matters. It's time to take up some room and put some pressure on your state representatives. Let them know that Right to Repair is important to you (and it should be!)

Check the list below to see if a Right to Repair bill has been presented in your state. Click the link and it'll bring you to the right Repair.org page with more information on the specific bill and also taking you through the steps of reaching out to your reps. You've got this!

DelawareMarylandMassachusettsMontanaNew HampshireNew JerseyOklahomaOregonWashington

Micheline Vaute

Written by Micheline Vaute,  US Brand Manager

Uses tech occasionally. Likes the planet and people. Smells like teen spirit.

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