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Comment on All software in EU under product liability from 2026

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Interesting to see from the press release that Right to Repair is being cracked down upon:

When a product is repaired and upgraded outside the original manufacturer’s control, the company or person that modified the product should be held liable.

Will we see companies sue repair shops or compatible component manufacturers in order to prevent potential injury to their customers. Interesting times.

EU has been pretty vocal about "Circular Economy" and also the right to repair for ages, so I do not expect a bona-fide repair job brings anybody in legal trouble.

But conversely: Should the original manufacturer be responsible if somebody installs hacked-up "performance" software in a car ?

Of course not!

Why would companies do that? They won't be held liable once it's modified.

So they have the monopoly on repairs

not true. if you make a repair, you're liable for it. if you do your job well, there's no reason that would mean more of a business risk than the OEM takes.

If, on the other hand, you do a rush job, then yes you're very much on the hook.

If anything, this makes repairs/reuse of devices more interesting to the consumer, since you know that some basic level of responsibility (read: liability) is taken care of.

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