The federal government’s stance in Massachusetts appears to conflict with its general views on the right to repair. In 2021, President Joe Biden ordered the Federal Trade Commission to create new rules making it harder for manufacturers to limit who can fix the devices they create.
Amid competing letters, statements, and legal paperwork there’s a fundamental question, one that Massachusetts tried to find the answer to: Who owns the resources of data created by today’s increasingly software- and computer-chip-enabled vehicles?
For decades, those advocating for the right to repair—that is, the idea that once you buy a product, you get…
Automotive repair
Independent Auto Repairers, Automakers Strike Major Right to Repair Pact
Organizations representing the country’s independent automotive repairers, collision repair experts and leading automakers have signed a landmark agreement on automotive right to repair.
The commitment among the Automotive Service Association (ASA), the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) and Alliance for Automotive Innovation (AAI) affirms a 2014 national agreement on automotive right to repair, stating unequivocally that “independent repair facilities shall have access to the same diagnostic and repair information that auto manufacturers make available to authorized dealer networks.”
In a letter to Congress outlining this major automotive right to repair development, the coalition of repairers and automakers wrote: “This…
New Mass. right-to-repair law now being enforced
Local News
The law, which voters approved in 2020, requires certain vehicle information to be shared with buyers and independent repair shops. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell began enforcement on June 1.
A judge paved the way for Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell to begin enforcing a new law that will require certain vehicle information to be shared with buyers and independent repair shops. Suzanne Kreiter/Boston Globe
On Thursday, Massachusetts Attorney general Andrea Campbell began enforcing the state’s new right-to-repair law following years of bitter debate and a wildly expensive ballot initiative that was approved by voters in 2020.
Here’s…
Right to repair pact rejected by major players
Image credit: Depositphotos.com
*Editor’s note: This story has been updated with reaction from the Tire Industry Association
An apparent agreement between three groups representing auto repairers, collision shops and automakers in the US on automotive right to repair is being met with pushback from two of the biggest automotive aftermarket organizations in the country.
The Auto Care Association, which includes representation of the distribution, auto repair, tools and equipment and other sectors, bluntly called the “so-called” pact “a thinly veiled attempt to confuse lawmakers and drivers” in the headline of its press release.
MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers, which represents the supplier…