
Mexico approves law against right to repair - macinjosh
https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/1219612-mexico-approves-law-against-right-to-repair-those-who-attempt-to-modify-or-repair-any-electornic-device-could-face-up-to-6-years-in-prision/
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sinak
If the idea of this makes you angry, consider joining and donating to
[https://www.repair.org](https://www.repair.org) \- we're advocating for the
opposite: laws requiring replacement parts, service manuals, and repair
software to be made available for users and independent repair shops.

We've succeeded in getting dozens of bills introduced in state legislatures,
and are working on building the legislative support necessary to have Right to
Repair codified in US law.

~~~
ddingus
I am in. Thanks for the reference.

Yes, this kind of thing does make me angry.

It is profoundly wasteful, over exploitative, and an insult to people
generally.

I grew up in poverty. Not the whole time, but we went through a rough stretch.
Fixing things happened without a thought. The only real question was whether
it made sense now, or later.

I could literally go barn and dumpster diving and score pretty amazing tech!
By age 17, I had a home computer, specially tweaked and precision converged TV
as monitor capable of 80 columns, transmitter, hi-fi, various media, vinyl,
tapes, test gear, you name it. All had for a song and some work. Much of that
work was not even particularly difficult.

I used to do repair and flip old gear for date money.

My computer came with full schematics and that info was available for
basically anything I found too.

The world is smaller and much more complex today. People throw devices away
like they do paper and packaging. That has to add up.

Repurposing? Could be happening big time.

IMHO, the big one is simply needing to replace things regularly. So much is on
a couple year cycle, or bundled into or with the need for some service, or
just fail prone designs that happen to run great for a while...

I get it on one level. The money is good, and the need for it to be ultra
consistent drives away from products that have a long service life. Couple
that with increasingly large numbers of people unable to afford better, and it
is not hard to see the basics play out as they are today.

Another part of this is rapid change. It is hard to plan for a longer service
life right now. Of course, it is also hard to make money on lean, cost reduced
products too.

Flashy features seems to be how many increase their margins and compete.
Often, those things go unused too. The service evaporates away, or requires an
account, monthly payment, and on it goes.

Where possible, buying something older, well made, serviceable is a much
higher value. In my life, I am still using these purchases daily.

Maybe it will take regulation of some sort to improve.

Opening the increasingly closed repair door is a great start!

------
electic
_This law also means that users will not be ale to repair or modify their
electronic devices unless they take them directly to the manufacturer. Small
repair shops will be illegal or prone to high fees; only the big manufacturers
will be allowed to continue repairs. And if any device has a software lock,
for example the 2018 MacBook Pro, it will be illegal to bypass it, and it will
require you to go only to apple._

wow

~~~
ddingus
That is nuts!

I bet it sees huge pushback too. How many in Mexico can afford that policy?
And culturally? Not cool.

------
rbecker
If piracy is theft, then what is lobbying to take away rights?

~~~
ddingus
Piracy really isn't theft. It is infringement.

We have that word because theft includes loss of property, and there is no
loss of property in piracy.

What does happen is someone sees or uses or does something others say they are
not supposed to.

I am not making an argument that is OK.

I am making an argument using the wrong words tends to reinforce bad law. And
as law diverges from the real goals, is made for reasons not rooted in
reality, respect for it, the value of it is reduced.

We all lose.

Lobbying to take away rights, reduce freedom, opportunity is despotism.

Corruption, grift, opportunism all treating people as less than what they are.

------
Ghjklov
"What do you do for a living?"

"I illegally fix iPhones on the black market..."

