Right to Repair: A Reflective Facet of Consumer Justice

• Authors: Subir Kumar Roy , Nabanita Sen

Title variants

PL

Prawo do naprawy jako przejaw sprawiedliwości konsumenckiej

Abstracts

PL

W ostatnich latach elektronika użytkowa notuje wzrost pośród dóbr konsumpcyjnych trwałego użytku, ale niestety odsetek naprawianych produktów spada, ponieważ naprawa pociąga za sobą relatywnie wyższe koszty ze względu na brak infrastruktury naprawczej. W przeprowadzonym badaniu skoncentrowano się na wolności i prawach konsumentów do samodzielnej naprawy wadliwego urządzenia zgodnie z instrukcją naprawy oraz do swobodnego wyboru usługodawcy bez podlegania uznaniu producenta. Podjęte badanie związane jest z potrzebą upodmiotowienia konsumentów poprzez powiązanie handlu pomiędzy producentami i pośrednikami a nabywcami, z jednoczesnym zapewnieniem zrównoważonego zużycia produktów poprzez ograniczanie ilości elektrośmieci, z konsekwencjami dla decydentów, naukowców i opinii publicznej wynikającymi z propozycji strategii zrównoważonego rozwoju gospodarczego. Badanie, w którym wzięło udział 112 respondentów, określa zakres i potrzebę prawa do naprawy, które niesie znaczne korzyści dla konsumentów, przy czym wielu respondentów wyraziło pragmatyczną, jednoznaczną perspektywę uznania prawa do naprawy. Dane statystyczne odzwierciedlają oryginalne odpowiedzi zebrane w postaci ankiet na próbie ogólnoindyjskiej w oparciu o metodę kwestionariusza ustrukturyzowanego. Potwierdza to poparcie dla swobodnego i sprawiedliwego handlu w zakresie priorytetowego traktowania ochrony konsumentów przy jednoczesnym zarysowaniu potrzeby przyjęcia odrębnego aktu prawnego dotyczącego „prawa do naprawy”. Celem artykułu jest próba identyfikacji rzeczywistości cyfrowej wraz z dojrzałością cyfrową do objęcia procesu decyzyjnego konsumenta. Ma ona na celu zapobieganie nieuczciwemu handlowi przy jednoczesnym promowaniu wolności handlu i proponowaniu odrębnej legislacji dotyczącej „prawa do naprawy”, tak aby decydenci mogli skutecznie łączyć przepisy dotyczące prawa do naprawy z uznaniem i przywróceniem ochrony konsumenta.

EN

In recent years, consumer electronics marked momentum in consumer durables, but unfortunately repair activities of products suffered setbacks as it relatively involved higher costs due to a lack of repair infrastructure. The study focused on the freedom and rights of consumers to fix their own faulty devices as per the repair manual or to select the service provider of their choice without being mandated by manufacturer’s whims. The research undertaken is methodological in nature and aims to empower consumers through synchronizing trade between manufacturers and third-party sellers and buyers while ensuring sustainability in consumption of products by reducing e-waste with implications for policy-makers, researchers, public in framing strategies sustainable economic development. The survey of 112 respondents identifies the scope and need for the right, which has significant benefits to consumers whereby a plurality of respondents expressed a pragmatic unequivocal perspective towards recognition of a right to repair. The statistical representations reflect the original response collected on a pan-India basis through a survey-based structured questionnaire method. This ensures free and fair trade in prioritizing consumer protection while sketching the need for a discrete piece of legislation on the Right to Repair. The aim of the article is an attempt to identify digital reality along with digital maturity to embrace the consumer’s decision-making process. It intends to prevent unfair trade while promoting free trade and proposing discrete legislation on the Right to Repair so that it may be efficacious for the policy-makers in encompassing the provisions of the right to repair spelled with recognizing and reclaiming consumer protection as well.

Keywords

EN

consumer electronics; consumer justice; Right to Repair; manufacturer; third-party seller; buyer

PL

elektronika użytkowa; sprawiedliwość konsumencka; prawo do naprawy; producent; pośrednik; nabywca

• Publisher: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej
• Journal: Studia Iuridica Lublinensia
• Year: 2023
• Volume: 32
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 11-34

Dates

published

2023

Contributors

author

Subir Kumar Roy

• Bankura University, West Bengal

author

Nabanita Sen

• Bankura University, West Bengal

References

• Canway L., Right to Repair Regulations (Research Briefing). 9302. House of Commons Library, (2021, September 24).
• European Council. Records of the Luxemburg Conference on the Community patent 1975: Free Movement and Competition Law, (2003). vol. 75(1), Oxford University Press.
• Federal Trade Commission. Nixing the Fix: An FTC Report to Congress on Repair Restrictions, 6. (2021, May 9).
• Federal Trade Commission. Policy Statement of the Federal Trade Commission on Repair Restrictions Imposed by Manufacturers and Sellers (2021, June).
• Rao K. M., Cases and Materials on the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, 2015, 32. Asia Law House, Cochin, Kerala.
• Roy S. K., Consumer justice: a symbol of economic prosperity and social progressiveness, “Hasanuddin Law Review” 2016, 1(2). 170-181.
• Sajn N., European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), (2022, January). PE.698.869.
• Saunders M., Lewis P., Thornhill A., Research Methods for Business Students 2009, (5th ed.) Pearson, London.
• Apple announces Self Service Repair, Apple Media. (2021, November 17). https://www.apple.com/in/newsroom/2021 /11/apple-announces-self-service-repair/ (access: 19.09.2022).
• Apple to sell spare parts to consumers to repair iPhones, Macs, The Indian Express. 2021, November18). https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/apple-to-sell-spare-parts-to-consumers-to-repair-iphones-macs-7627883/lite (access: 19.09.2022).
• Bajpai G.S., Sharma,V., Bajpai, M. Upholding the right to repair, The Indian Express. (2022, April 19). https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/upholding-the-right-to-repair-apple-products-7875632/ (access: 16.11.2022).
• Bergen M., Microsoft and Apple Wage War on Gadget Right-to-Repair Laws. Bloomberg. (2021, May 20). https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-20/microsoft-and-apple-wage-war-on-gadget-right-to-repair-laws?leadSource=uverify%20wall (access: 16.11.2022).
• Brandom R., New York state passes first-ever ‘right to repair’ law for electronics. The Verge. (2022, June 3). https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/3/23153504/right-to-repair-new-york-state-law-ifixit-repairability-diy (access: 19.09.2022).
• Charboneau T., Right to Repair Plus Recycling May Be Key to Slashing E-Waste. All About Circuits. (2022, February 22). https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/right-to-repair-plus-recycling-may-be-key-to-slashing-ewaste/ (access: 24.09.2022).
• Competition Commission of India, Government of India (2011). C. No. 03. https://www.cci.gov.in/ images/antitrustorder/en/0320111652434256.pdf (access: 19.09.2022).
• Donnelly C., Eradicating e-waste: Why the UKs right to repair laws are in urgent need of an upgrade, ComputerWeekly.com. (2022, April 21). hips://www.computerweekly.com/blog/Green-Tech/Eradicating-e-waste-Why-the-UKs-right-to-repair-laws-are-in-urgent-need-of-an-upgrade (access: 24.04.2022).
• Food & Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India. Department of Consumer Affairs. sets up committee to develop comprehensive framework on the Right to Repair. (2022, July 14). https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1841403 (access: 13.11.2022).
• Hatta M., The Right to Repair, the Right to Tinker, and the Right to Innovate. Annals of Business Administrative Science, (2020), 19(4), DOI: https://doi.org/10.7880/abas.0200604a (access: 02.12.2022).
• International Telecommunication Union. France’s Repairability Index inches toward circular economy. (2021, October 25). https://www.itu.int/hub/2021/10/frances-repairability-index-inches-toward-circular-economy/ (access: 10.11.2022).
• Kenton W., Planned Obsolescence. Investopedia. (2019, June 4). https://www.investopedia.com /terms/p/planned _obsolescence.asp (access: 19.09.2022).
• Kolakowski M., Apple (AAPL) Reaches Settlement Over iPhone ‘Batterygate’. Investopedia. (2020, November 20). https://www.investopedia.com/apple-aapl-reaches-settlement-over-iphone-batterygate-5088300 (access: 24.09.2022).
• Madway G., Apple tightens the screws on iPhone 4: sources. Thomson Reuters. (2011, January 21) https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-screws-idUKTRE70K0BO20110121(access: 19.09.2022).
• McCollough J., Factors impacting the demand for repair services of household products: the disappearing repair trades and the throwaway society. “International Journal of Consumer Studies” 2009, 33, 619-626. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2009.00793.x (access: 15.11.2022).
• One nation, many devices, one charger. The Economic Times. (2022, August 21). https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/et-editorial/one-nation-many-devices-one-charger/articleshow /93695682.cms (access: 10.12.2022).
• Povich E. S., Pandemic Drives Phone, Computer ‘Right-to-Repair’ Bills. Stateline. (2021, March 11). https://pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2021/03/11/pandemic-drives-phone-computer-right-to-repair-bills (access: 20.09.2022).
• Robertson A., Massachusetts passes ‘right to repair’ law to open up car data. The Verge. (2020, November 4). https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/4/21549129/massachusetts-right-to-repair-question-1-wireless-car-data-passes (access: 24.11.2022).
• Shekhar S., Ontario MPP wants to bring ‘Right to Repair’ movement to Canada. MobileSyrup. (2019, February 18). https://mobilesyrup.com/2019/02/18/Ontario-mpp-right-repair/(access: 24.09.2022).
• Staggering E-waste Facts & Statistics 2022. (2022, March 9). Toner Buzz. https://www.tonerbuzz.com/blog/e-waste-facts-statistics/ (access: 20.09.2022).
• Subramanian S., Explained |Right To Repair movement and how Big Tech is reacting to it. The Hindu. (2021, July 21). https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/right-to-repair-movement-explained/article 35440170.ece (access: 16.11.2022).
• Thakur V., Planned Obsolescence: Why Are Things Built to Fail? Science ABC. (2022, January 22). <https://www.scienceabc.com/innovation/planned-obsolescence-things-built-fail.html> (access: 19.09.2022).
• Vehicle scrappage policy: Details, benefits, rules and more. The Times of India (2021, August 14). <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/vehicle-scrappage-policy-details-benefits-rules-and-more/articleshow/85309762.cms> (access: 24.09.2022).
• Act of 2019 – India Code: Consumer Protection Act, 2019. (https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/ 123456789/15256? view_type=browse&sam_handle=123456789/1362).
• Act of 2019 -The Consumer Protection Act, (No. 35).
• Judgment of the Delhi High Court of 16 May 2014, AIR 2014, Delhi, 121.
• Judgment of the Competition Commission of India of 25 August 2014, SCC Online, CCI95.

Identifiers

DOI

10.17951/sil.2023.32.2.11-34

Biblioteka Nauki

31348329