Washington, DC – On Tuesday, 7/18, I had the opportunity to attend the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet hearing, “Is There a Right to Repair?”. The purpose of the hearing was to examine the current legal landscape of the right to repair and related intellectual property issues, including potential future avenues for policymaking. This included discussion of The Save Money on Auto Repair Transportation (SMART) Act, which would protect consumers’ right to repair their cars by changing design patent law for repair parts. The hearing also discussed laws and regulations at both the federal and state level and the implications for a range of industries from automotive to software to consumer electronics.
Initial impressions from the hearing are that we continue to gain traction in the Right to Repair movement which is only getting stronger. Members of the Subcommittee seemed sympathetic to consumers and their ability to repair their property, including their vehicles with aftermarket parts. Compared to past hearings on the former PARTS Act, this was a huge success for ABPA members and the CAR Coalition.
Click here for a full video of the hearing. Also attached to this article is a write up on the hearing.
As always, I encourage all ABPA members to email their members of Congress to support both the SMART and REPAIR Acts at the CAR Coalition website. This is an easy process and literally takes less than one minute. As I represent the ABPA on the CAR Coalition Board, I will continue to work with the Coalition on next steps to further advance both the SMART and REPAIR Acts.
Ed Salamy
Executive Director
Automotive Body Parts Association (ABPA)
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