Scope of Research
In connection with an FTC workshop exploring repair restrictions, the FTC requested research and data in the following areas:
- The prevalence of the following types of repair restrictions:
- product designs that limit consumer and independent repair shop repairs (e.g., using adhesives instead of machine screws when securing a part such as a battery or requiring special, or proprietary, tools to open a product for repair, or to otherwise conduct repairs)
- proprietary manufacturer diagnostic tools and parts that limit diagnoses and repairs by consumers or those unaffiliated with the manufacturer
- product scans, or other diagnostics, used to determine whether a product has been opened or repaired by a party other than the manufacturer, such as a consumer or independent repair shop
- stickers or labels that warn or imply that a product warranty will be voided if the product is opened or modified by anyone other than the manufacturer or its agent
- examples of contractual post-sale or licensing restrictions, or proprietary diagnostic software and replacement parts
- software updates that make products obsolete or unfixable if they have been previously repaired by consumers or repair shops
- other types of repair restrictions
- The effect of repair restrictions on the repair market in the United States, and the impact that manufacturers’ repair restrictions have on small and local businesses
- The effect repair restrictions have on prices for repairing goods, accessibility and timeliness of repairs, and the quality of repairs
- The effect of repair restrictions on consumers’ ability to repair warrantied products or to have the products repaired by independent repair shops
- The relationship between repair restrictions and the sale of extended warranties by manufacturers
- Manufacturers’ justifications for repair restrictions and the factual basis for such justifications
- The risks posed by repairs made by consumers or independent repair shops
- The liability faced by manufacturers when consumers or independent repair workers are injured while repairing a product
- The liability faced by manufacturers when consumers are injured after using or coming into contact with a product that has been repaired improperly by a consumer or independent repair shop
- Whether consumers understand the existence and the effects of repair restrictions
The FTC is no longer accepting research submissions. You can find the research that was submitted here.