In the US, some form of right to repair legislation has been proposed in most states, and bills have also been filed at the national level.
In the UK, a right to repair law went into effect in July last year, requiring appliance manufacturers to provide public access to spare parts and make complicated parts available in professional repair shops. This excludes smartphones and laptops, however.
The European Union has the most effective right to repair laws by far, they require manufacturers to ensure that electronic goods can be repaired for up to a decade.
For example, in the Shamsher Kataria case, the court held 14 automobile companies liable for indulging in anti-competitive practices by allowing the sale of goods and services only from authorised dealers while denying independent repair shops access to spare parts.
In the Sanjeev Nirvani vs HCL case, a district court held that companies are under an obligation to provide spare and consumable parts, exclusive to a product, beyond the warranty period as paid services.
In the Tekla Corporation case (2014), the Delhi High Court held that any contractual restrictions, which limit or impede the rights of the consumers after the sale of a product cannot be enforced in a court of law.
(With inputs from Polygon, Vice, and The New York Times)
