I wonder how software licensing fits into this new EU right-to-repair directive. It seems pretty critical for repairability!

Press release: Right to repair: Making repair easier and more appealing to consumers

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20240419IPR20590/right-to-repair-making-repair-easier-and-more-appealing-to-consumers

"Manufacturers [...] will be prohibited from using contractual clauses, hardware or *software* techniques that obstruct repairs."

@kde

#RightToRepair #KDE #GNOME #FreeSoftware #OpenSource

(h/t GNOME Berlin)

4 Comments

breadsmasher@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Software techniques that obstruct repairs

This should hit whatever apple was doing with their parts replacements needing to be “coded” in or something?

Ipr@mastodon.social · 2 pts · 2y

@be4foss @breadsmasher
Exactly. Also some tractor manufacturers etc. have been known to do these things.

suetanvil@freeradical.zone · 6 pts · 2y

@be4foss @kde

I'm now envisioning the EU sending sternly worded letters to FOSS devs who don't properly document their code.

Pwl@mastodon.social · 2 pts · 2y

@be4foss @kde might this impact on software upgrades and backwards compatibility? Eg MS Windows 11 unable to run on old hardware, but the compatible version of Windows is no longer supported?
This is a significant cause of eWaste.