SYLLABUS SECTION: GS II (SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY)
WHY IN THE NEWS?
The U.S. state of New York recently passed the Fair to Upholding the Right to Repair Act, which requires manufacturers to supply repair information, tools, and parts to independent repair shops and not just their own stores or partners.
RIGHT TO REPAIR MEANS:
- The rationale behind the “right to repair” is that the individual who purchases a product must own it completely.
- This implies that apart from being able to use the product, consumers must be able to repair and modify the product the way they want to.
- The absence of repair manuals means that manufacturers hold near-monopoly over repair workshops that charge consumers exorbitant prices.
- Tech giants contend that security and privacy concerns may crop up if products based on a technology patented by them are opened up by third parties.
- Many countries have taken initiatives, adopted policies and even tried to enact legislation that recognise the “right to repair” to reduce electronic waste.
INDIAN SCENARIO
- Monopoly on repair processes infringes the customer’s’ “right to choose” recognised by the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. Consumer disputes jurisprudence in the country has also partially acknowledged the right to repair.
- In Shamsher Kataria v Honda Siel Cars India Ltd (2017), for instance, the Competition Commission of India ruled that restricting the access of independent automobile repair units to spare parts by way of an end-user license agreement was anti-competitive.
Read more: UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS
SOURCE: THE HINDU