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It has become increasingly frustrating that when a device breaks down or gets damaged, it is almost impossible to fix it without having to go back to the manufacturer. But a new decision by the US Copyright Office eases restrictions on the use of gadgets you own.
Starting October 28, it will be legal to unlock new smart phones, jailbreak voice assistant devices such as smart speakers, and repair household devices, including smartphones, home appliances and devices. smart domestic workers.
The repair exceptions for home devices include the ability to root a device during a repair attempt. This is important because it should mean that any device set up to tinker with it is still tinkered with can always be repaired, as long as it falls under the category of "home appliances", which is good news for repair companies.
The bad news is that game consoles have been denied an exemption, which means that it remains difficult and expensive to have your console serviced. Land vehicles, boats and planes were also refused.
Article 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which prohibits individuals and businesses from circumventing the digital locks their companies place on their products, is at issue.
"This transfers the control of our products from us, the owners, to the original equipment manufacturers.This law has largely contributed to the constant erosion of property rights," says iFixit.
According to iFixit, the decision of the Copyright Office means, for example, that "it is finally legal to root and repair the Smart Home Revolv Hubs Google Tinkered When They Shut Down Servers. Or just about any other home appliance. "
The Copyright Office reviews the exemptions proposed in section 1201 every three years. This year, a nine-person team, made up of representatives from iFixit, Repair.org, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Cydia, was "prepared" by the Copyright Office for three days. Los Angeles. The Stanford Intellectual Property Law Clinic was also available to help assert the finer points of the law if needed.
As Kyle Wiens of iFixit explains, the Copyright Office "had done its homework and asked intelligent questions about a surprising variety of topics." It was important, as was the experience of the team that was fighting for more freedom because on the other side of the table were the MPAA, the RIAA and Auto Alliance, among others, representing companies that take advantage of current restrictions.
The good news is that the Copyright Office has understood why there is so much frustration in this area. His final decision was accompanied by 342 pages of documentation, which explains the details. Over time, new freedoms should become much clearer: repair services, whether they are new or existing, must take advantage of them to make the most of them and fight against the control of the major manufacturers.
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