FTC ‘Systematically Demolishes’ Repair Curbs Case: iFixit CEO

Virtually all tech associations and companies, except for TechNet, maintained silence days after the FTC’s long-awaited “Nixing the Fix” report found “scant evidence” supporting OEMs’ “justifications” for restricting third-party and independent repairs (see 2105070013). Right-to-repair advocates were jubilant after the FTC 4-0 said it would consider “reinvigorated regulatory and law enforcement options” to address the problem. “It was worth the wait,” said iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens of the two-year FTC investigation into repair restrictions that began with an April 2019 notice of inquiry (see 1905160073) and a July 2019 daylong workshop (see 1907160058). The report “systematically demolishes” the OEMs’ case for disallowing device consumer self-repairs or fixes done through technicians who are independent of factory-authorized service networks, Wiens told us Friday. “I feel like we've been trapped in 'Groundhog Day' dealing with the same tired arguments over and over. No, repairing your battery isn't going to undermine the cybersecurity of an iPhone.” Wiens expects the report “should finally break us loose of that cycle,” he said. “I'm hopeful this will unleash a wave of pent-up legislation.”