Comment by usaphp
4 years ago
I see a good intention behind it, but it only works only if only honest people and companies exist. It’s not the case in real world.
What would prevent a competitor simply copying the whole product and offering a cheaper price because they didn’t have to invest in R&D, and those engineers who spent many years working on a finished schematics will be out of job because the company won’t be able to make a living selling more expensive products?
there is a big big difference between a schematic that will aid people in repairs and ones that are used to manufacture the boards...and no one fighting for right to repair is asking for that anyways
system76 talks about this in this interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGle6z9KfZQ
Nor is anybody asking for mask files for ICs, just that they be available for purchase at a reasonable price. Stuff like Apple getting proprietary charging ICs from Intersil that nobody else can buy to replace a defective one is unethical at best.
Patents and reputation aka trade marks. Speakers for example are extremely well understood technology yet premium speakers are still a thing.
Speakers and computer components are great examples of where companies provide less tangible benifits in quality control and customer support.
You're basically arguing for IP protection via obscurity/complexity, but I assure you that anyone who wants to clone tech products at industrial scale can already do so today. This just gives repair documentation and parts availability to independent repair shops and DIYers...
What would prevent a competitor simply copying the whole product and offering a cheaper price
Whatever it was that kept this from happening from the advent of electronics up to the invention of the smartphone.
This isn't a totally unreasonable position to take, but in some cases "whatever it was that kept this from happening before" really is nothing more than "nobody had thought of it yet".