Supremes say we have the right to repair

[studemax]

Some good news from the highest court in the land....

https://www.wired.com/2017/06/impression-v-lexmark/

[68scott385]

The corporations already provide built-in obsolescence now they want to dictate that you cannot fix what they designed to fail. Sounds a lot like corporate greed to me. They also want brand loyalty but many of the brands from my childhood are no longer around.

[Barry Donovan]

The corporations already provide built-in obsolescence now they want to dictate that you cannot fix what they designed to fail. Sounds a lot like corporate greed to me. They also want brand loyalty but many of the brands from my childhood are no longer around.

as for automotive, even standards improving things sail over the patent laws.

compressors/pumps, brakes, computing on and on.
just iso9001 going the way of the fat maytag repair killer to the ts16949...

[SuperBuickGuy]

and occasionally they get it right... this was a good decision

[Thumpin455]

I would hope I'm not forced to take it to a dealer. Think of all the jobs they'd kill if they made it a law that you had to go to a dealer for service. The entire aftermarket would be gone, the small shop, manufacturing of speed parts. Order from summit you get a far lower price than going to the dealer for the exact same thing.

that's only on new cars, imagine if they made it across all years. Now that is a car guy dystopia.

[SuperBuickGuy]

This truly was a case of pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered. Lexmark was forcing ink refillers to pay them for the reuse of their old cartridges - and many settled with them before this case went to trial. Lexmark claimed that when they sold you a printer cartridge, that you were only getting a use license (like renting a DVD) and that the actual plastic case was protected from refill by US patent law. As anyone who buys print cartridges knows, printers are cheap, refills aren't The case, and this is the hog part, was about the reach of US patent law - This refiller bought their empties from overseas then sold them, filled here. Lexmark claimed that those off-shore cartridges were still covered under US patent even though they were produced abroad for foreign markets. The Supremes said no - the argument kind of fell on the "how the hell do you enforce Lexmark's claim" more then protecting consumers. Because many other companies use EUAs (end use agreements), you will be seeing lots of new and exciting language on stuff you buy. I don't think it's really anything more then something that will cause them a bit more work, but I do like the common sense approach the Court took in their decision making... sometimes cases get pretty convoluted when the decision is made - this one, not so much. But don't lose sight of the fact that they did not ban EUAs or even change the landscape about patent law - thus I wouldn't suggest celebrating this decisions as the media seems to think you should.... Lexmark could easily get around this ruling by slight changes to off-shore products (think different labeling) and then enforcing that patent in the same manner that Land Rover does. Land Rover, if they find out you brought a non-exempt product of theirs to the US will report you to US Customs and US Customs will come take your Land Rover and/or Land Rover part away.... and yes, Land Rover reports their customers...

[Thumpin455]

Damn. Rover don't play around.

[SuperBuickGuy]

If someone calls for information about a LR in North America, they won't answer your question without the serial number and contact information... want to guess why? it's okay, I've seen their latest creation and it's beyond ugly - so that should finish them off. When they stopped producing the Defender, they were dead to me.

[67 Malibu]

The very thought/idea/argument that a person does not have the right(?) to repair something that they own is nearly beyond comprehension to someone my age.

[Deaf Bob]

The very thought/idea/argument that a person does not have the right(?) to repair something that they own is nearly beyond comprehension to someone my age.

REALLY!
Used to be only tinkerers bought cars (Model T)

[pdub]

I went a long time just buying another whatever. I completely agree with the whole concept of repairing, I'm learning how to do it late in life.

But that link in Stude's original post....I've tried for two days to read the whole story about ink cartridges...I can't read fast enough. I'm sure it's a setting on my computer, but I read two paragraphs of the story and then there's a popup where that website wants me to pay a dollar to see the rest, or some kind of shit, and I don't know how to repair THAT!

[studemax]

Just refresh your screen using the little icon up on your toolbar, and the ad will go bye-bye.

[pdub]

Just refresh your screen using the little icon up on your toolbar, and the ad will go bye-bye.

No, it's worse than that. Unit came to fix my computer....SEE? That's fixed! Nope. No it ain't. I thought computers were supposed to help humans with their problems. It ain't so all the time.

[studemax]

You need to cuss it right, I guess.

[JRC99]

I went a long time just buying another whatever. I completely agree with the whole concept of repairing, I'm learning how to do it late in life.

But that link in Stude's original post....I've tried for two days to read the whole story about ink cartridges...I can't read fast enough. I'm sure it's a setting on my computer, but I read two paragraphs of the story and then there's a popup where that website wants me to pay a dollar to see the rest, or some kind of shit, and I don't know how to repair THAT!

Get an adblocker. Ad Block Plus is the most well known. It's free, and it's the best damn thing I've ever installed. I can post a link if you want.