Do we have a policy on this yet? Searching the wiki and the forum didn’t bring up anything. Might be worth coming up with something similar (alongside a right-to-repair policy).
Our Creative Works Act has a Fair Use exception which specifically includes technical use. Right to repair is probably a key pillar of the policy though so I’m wondering if we could make it more visible.
Tackling artificial obsolence in regulation would be good but difficult. Too bad the English article is so short. From the original article it’s referencing (via Google Translate):
Simon November of Test-Aankoop
"It is difficult to determine whether this is intent or need to remain competitive. The union works closely with federal deputy prime minister Kris Peeters, who this spring after a focused study could not prove preconceived ill will (‘programmed obsolescence’), ‘although in certain cases it can not be excluded that it would exist’.
According to the Beuc European consumer umbrella, it hardly matters from the point of view of consumer or environmental protection whether rapid aging is the result of intent or wear. “The key point is that the lifespan does not meet what consumers expect, nor what is technically possible.”
I’m in favour of stronger consumer rights here as a parallel to our fair use policy point.
The right to repair/hack/mod is pretty baked into the Pirate ethos. No idea if there’s a policy for it though.