Scientology based group files Anti-Right to Repair Statement to US Copyright office

[rcmaehl]

Summary

Scientologists are looking to have a loophole added to Right to Repair Legislation to exclude devices that use software "governed by a license agreement negotiated and executed" before purchase.

 

Media

 

Quotes

Quote

The right-to-repair movement has had its share of adversaries. From Big Tech to politicians... who don't think product repairability should be government-mandated, it has been a tedious battle. One of the most recent wins came from Apple... supporting repairability legislation.  Taking Apple's place is a new entity aiming to limit right-to-repair legislation: Scientologists. A letter sent on August 10 to the US Copyright Office by Ryland Hawkins of Author Services Inc [who] represents the "literary, theatrical, and musical works of L. Ron Hubbard, the late founder of Scientology [and] is owned by the Church of Spiritual Technology, which describes itself as a church within Scientology addresses Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which "makes it unlawful to circumvent technological measures used to prevent unauthorized access to copyrighted works." The Scientology group's letter seeks to alter exemptions granted for self-repairing... consumer electronics.  Author Services' letter argues that while that exemption... shouldn't apply to devices that "can only be purchased and used by someone who possess [sic] particular qualifications or has been specifically trained in the use of the device." The license agreement is "negotiated and agreed to in advance" of purchase and may include restrictions that are critical to "safe and proper" device usage. "It's a totally unreasonable proposal," Elizabeth Chamberlain, director... at iFixit, told Ars Technica. "I can imagine manufacturers using the presence of a 'quick start' guide for a product as evidence that their consumers are 'specially trained in use of the device' and thus denying broad access to repair." Such an amendment would render the proposed exemptions for commercial and industrial equipment from right-to-repair activists "toothless." 

 

My thoughts

Welp, if right to repair advocates start disappearing, you all know why. It was a nice movement while it lasted and we made great strides. Jokes aside, I can understand how they're trying to phrase this exception as reasonable but it is highly abusible and should not be accepted. 

 

Sources

Gizmodo

ArsTechnica (quote source)

The Register

[Arika]

Maybe it is reverse psychology ? Scientology supports right to repair but feel that if they say they don't, some of these big companies with change their mind because they don't want to be associated with Scientology.

 

Because realistically, who cares what scientologists think?

[PDifolco]

11 minutes ago, Arika said:

Maybe it is reverse psychology ? Scientology supports right to repair but feel that if they say they don't, some of these big companies with change their mind because they don't want to be associated with Scientology.

 

Because realistically, who cares what scientologists think?

Tom Cruise

 

[Leksi T]

While scientology as an organization has had some of their legal teeth pulled, they still have some very scary practices, and writing them off as a joke might be a bad move.  Maybe the best move for tech media would be to make this a very public issue, not calling out scientology so much as just making people aware that they have taken action here.

[Leksi T]

I wonder if Lawful Masses and/or Legal Eagle will do pieces regarding this.  (Goes to see if they have.  EDIT: They have not yet)

 

EDIT 2: Here's the letter: https://www.regulations.gov/comment/COLC-2023-0004-0037

[AbydosOne]

I guarantee this has something to do with their kooky E-meters and preventing people from disproving them.

[Bitter]

8 minutes ago, AbydosOne said:

I guarantee this has something to do with their kooky E-meters and preventing people from disproving them.

It has everything to do with that. They hate that you can buy them on eBay and look at the hardware, they REALLY don't want you to see the software inside which means it must be REALLY juicy.

[freeagent]

Psychopath's are calling the shots in this world.

[dogwitch]

and it was that dude again.

funny how no talks about the site or other YT channel that talk about right to repair.

just the one that drama the most.

[mMontana]

How

On

Earth

this group is going to be lobbyed by corporations???

 

More greed for bigger money??? C'MON!

[WereCat]

19 hours ago, dogwitch said:

and it was that dude again.

funny how no talks about the site or other YT channel that talk about right to repair.

just the one that drama the most.

He is literally lobbying for RTR and is one of the biggest channels covering it because of it. Also there are more channels doing it but usually very small ones.

[dogwitch]

9 hours ago, WereCat said:

He is literally lobbying for RTR and is one of the biggest channels covering it because of it. Also there are more channels doing it but usually very small ones.

the issue is . people are to laY to research a topic. so its what ever drama that get them. that why the person rep become big.

its a disservice to people  fighting it every day. that doing the real work. while a dude seat on a couch  rambling on.

[Spotty]

Thread cleaned and locked. This very quickly turned in to religious debates.

• No trolling or flame-bait.
  • This includes topics such as AMD vs NVIDIA, "company X sucks", and religious debates.