We Have the Right to Repair Everything We Own
It’s high time we demand the right to open, tinker with, and repair everything we own.
We have the right to:
Fix our own things or choose which service shop to use
Manuals and diagnostic tools the dealers use
Unlock and jailbreak the software on our devices
Would you buy a car if it was illegal to replace the tires?
Would you buy a bike if you couldn’t fix the chain?
Manufacturers are trying to shut down independent repair shops.
They say service manuals are proprietary. Fortunately, not all companies are that way. Support companies that are repair friendly, like Dell and Patagonia. Help us create documentation for companies that aren’t.
86% of Voters
in Massachusetts overrode the car companies and passed the automobile owners’ Right to Repair law in November, 2012.
114,322 Americans
signed a petition to legalize cell phone unlocking. And in October 2018, the US Copyright Office granted a three-year exemption to allow unlocking!
Over 3 million people
have joined iFixit to teach each other how to repair their own stuff, and thousands more are pitching in every day.
You bought it. You own it.
Once you’ve paid money for a product, the manufacturer shouldn’t be able to dictate how you use it—it’s yours. Ownership means you should be able to open, hack, repair, upgrade, or tie bells on it.
But it’s common practice to refuse to make parts, tools, and repair information available to consumers and small repair shops. Apple even created a special screw specifically to make it hard to repair the iPhone.
If you want to make a custom wood frame for your iPod, go for it!
Manufacturers have created a monopoly on repair.
When there's only one repair shop around, prices go up and quality goes down. Companies have every incentive to drive up prices and drive down competition. Don’t let them.
An army of repair technicians stands ready to fill in the gap. All they need is a little help.
Companies don’t want you to get their products fixed.
It took a lawsuit to force Apple to offer a battery replacement program. Many companies, including Apple, refuse to sell replacement parts to independent shops. That just isn’t right.
Manufacturers keep repair codes secret.
Independent repair technicians need the same information that the manufacturer repair shops have. The Ford dealership has access to diagnostic codes that your neighborhood mechanic needs.
But those codes are often proprietary, and manufacturers limit access to the tools that can read them. That’s why Massachusetts passed Automobile Owners’ Right to Repair laws in 2012, and why groups such as AAA, Autozone, and Valvoline are pushing for similar legislation.
Consumers’ Bill of Rights
To keep the right to repair in consumers’ hands, we need to enact real reform. It's time to establish a consumers’ bill of rights.
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to open everything we own
to modify and repair our things
to unlock and jailbreak the software in our electronics
We must have access
to repair information
to products that can be repaired
to reasonably-priced, independent repair shops
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Repair.org is working to protect local repair.
We won major repair exemptions to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act in 2018.
Twenty states introduced Right to Repair laws in 2019, but none have passed yet.
Take Action
Support repair-friendly manufacturers, and avoid the ones that aren’t.
Make your voice heard: Tell your congressman to legalize repairing our hardware.
Join our newsletter and we’ll keep you up to date as the right to repair movement progresses.