[thanksforfish]

Presumably, if the customer doesn't have the right to repair then the manufacturer would be able to make parts that are exceptionally difficult to repair without specialized knowledge and tools. Or worse, enforce cryptographic locks on any software/firmware to prevent unauthorized changes.

I think right to repair is about ensuring that the customer can make reasonable repairs to the product, and the manufacturer not infringing on their rights when designing the product.

[withinboredom]

It’s military equipment. It’s easy as heck to repair and the manuals are all online.

[PartiallyTyped]

That doesn't hold [1].

> Manufacturers can prevent the Department of Defense from repairing certain equipment, which puts members of the military at risk.

[1] https://perma.cc/HS7U-2A9H

[withinboredom]

As someone who worked with mechanics, they didn’t seem to have any trouble in theater. In the US, only contractors were allowed to do some things.

[newsclues]

Easy to repair if you have spare parts… this supply chain is key.

[withinboredom]

Or working ones to cannibalize from other ones.

[rualca]

> Presumably, if the (...)

In this case, the "customer" is a sovereign state that has the ability to set its own laws.

Why does anyone think that "right to repair" applies in this case?

[PartiallyTyped]

From another reply:

> Ah, I see you don't know that companies can "prohibit" chip manufacturers from selling specific chips to third parties [1,2]. Moreover, schematics, repair guidelines, and all sorts of other tools are not available to independent repair shops, which render repairs very difficult, Louis Rossmann has had frequent rants about this on his channel on Youtube [2], and is one of the most prominent advocates of the right to repair.

> It follows then that unless right to repair passes/exists, obtaining replacement parts for any devices is exceptionally difficult. There is therefore a stark contrast between 1960s cars and their very limited electronics and current tech that relies on often hundreds of chips and software to operate.

> [1] https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/7/3/18761691/right-to-rep...

> [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCFP9P7lIvI

It is not that the right to repair applies in this case, but rather because the right to repair does not exist/has not passed, the procurement of chips and other electronics necessary to repair the hardware may be difficult or outright impossible.

The cars that we compare to (1960) are orders of magnitude simpler than modern day electronics and not reliant on megacorps allowing others to obtain schematics and microchips.