Abstract

The past year has seen a number of prominent manufacturers face litigation both from consumer classes and from the federal government targeting restrictions on the ability to repair products. At the same time, Congress, as well as legislatures across the country, including Vermont, have introduced legislation that would promote the ability of consumers to repair products. But the "right to repair" movement is already decades old and has already seen waves of legislative proposals introduced in Congress and state legislatures only to wither on the vine. This paper aims to take a hard, fact-based look at the state of the right-to-repair movement today. This paper looks at past failed efforts at reform and examines the reasons for that failure, condenses prior theoretical commentary on the subject into more actionable takeaways, assesses the strength of the current wave of right to repair initiatives and its potential flaws, and compares US efforts with comparable projects overseas.

How to Cite:

David Garrison Golubock, Fixing Right-to-Repair Law: Why Efforts to Hold Manufacturers Accountable Are Faltering, 7 Ariz. L. J. Emerging Tech., no. 1, 2024, https://doi.org/10.2458/azlawjet.6394