The right-to-repair movement has grown in recent years as proponents argue that consumers’ repair of their electronic devices is necessarily in the public interest. Many bills have been introduced in state legislatures and Congress mandating that consumers be given access to all materials to repair their products, including access to computer code and other copyrighted works. These legislative proposals generally conflict with federally protected intellectual property (IP) right, which needs to be accounted for in any right-to-repair legislation. State bills in particular overlook longstanding federal policy that IP rights serve the public interest, as well as the constitutional supremacy of federal laws over state laws. Moreover, right-to-repair advocates do not acknowledge how IP rights have been central to the success of the US innovation economy.
Please join Ambassador Greer for a fireside chat with Senior Fellow Peter Rough on the Trump administration’s first year back in office and what’s next for US trade policy.
Experts and policymakers will discuss how to close regulatory gaps, improve compliance, and build more resilient and trusted infrastructure.
Join Nina Shea in a discussion with Ethan Gutmann and Congressman Chris Smith, the author of the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting bill.
Please join Acting Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Pierre Yared for a conversation with Senior Fellow Tom Duesterberg on the first year of the Trump administration’s economic agenda and the key factors shaping the US economy’s outlook.
