Fixing own phone is no longer illegal

The Librarian of Congress and the U.S. Copyright Office are granting American consumers and gadget repair shops greater freedom to fix their smartphones and other popular electronics, a decision that “right to repair” advocates are calling a major victory.

In a ruling that took effect Sunday, the Librarian of Congress has carved out exemptions that allow people to circumvent digital “locks” on devices they own — such as voice assistants, tablets, smartphones and vehicles — to repair those devices. Motherboard earlier reported on the ruling.

Device manufacturers use digital protection measures to safeguard their intellectual property. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 made it unlawful to circumvent technological measures used to prevent the piracy of copyrighted books, movies, video games and computer software. The digital locks are intended to prevent the theft of intellectual property and to keep consumers from compromising their electronics, thereby preserving the integrity and security of a device’s operating system, industry groups have argued.

But consumer advocates contend that the prohibition against tinkering robs consumers of the right to fix their broken property and exposes users and repair professionals to the risk of violating copyright law simply by altering the software inside the devices that the users own.

The exemptions permit customers to unlock their smartphones and get around restrictions built into other mainstream devices, including smart home assistants, said Kyle Wiens, founder of iFixit. The Librarian of Congress and the Copyright Office did not grant exceptions for video game console repairs, according to Wiens.