Bolstering Canada’s right to repair could shield it against U.S. tariffs and trade uncertainty.
Bolstering Canada’s right to repair could shield it against U.S. tariffs and trade uncertainty.
The right to repair can increase the amount of well-paying Canadian jobs and reduce Canada’s dependence on unpredictable global markets.
Cory Doctorow's article on why we should fight back against tarriffs with throwing out IP rights for these american companies is excellent. If we get tariffs put on Canada then we have no reason to respect american IP laws.
Build a Canadian market available to all the world to sell jailbreaking for IP locked products like John Deere farm equipment and Mcdonald's ice cream machines so they can be fixed without having to take them to the overpriced dealerships to be gouged by subscriptions and no choice.
I agree overall, but there is the lingering issue that the problems with IP laws is much more international than simply changing things locally. Most of the world has agreed to respect US IP laws and modify their own local laws accordingly.
That said, this can also be the start of a movement to create a new standard which is independent on US IP laws. If we can get the support of EU or any other one major world power, it wouldn't matter what the US's laws are. Lots of US companies already make separate products just to meet EU regulations, and if better IP laws that don't lock down critical equipment like agriculture or medical tools, most likely even US companies will have no choice but to base their products on such a standard due to the lost opportunity cost of making multiple products at such a large scale.
Whoever decided it was okay to hold electronics together with glue instead of screws needs to go The Hague.
Not everything needs to be engineered to be easily replaceable, but everything needs to be engineered to be replaceable.
Cars are entering the danger zone here where used cars are going to be worth less than ever faster than ever.
This doesn't just apply to personal electronics or cars. It'll also prevent farmers from being sued just for changing the oil of their John Deer tractors, or hospitals being out their MRI machine for months because the entire thing needs to be disassembled and transported back to the states to replace a single cable.
Don't imagine about the annoyance of having to change the battery of your electronics, but instead about having to decide between shipping your home's water boiler to the repair facility for weeks to replace a single control chip, or buying a new one because you can't afford to go so long without hot water.