A Submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry on the Right to Repair

Abstract

Executive Summary: The Productivity Commission is to be congratulated for producing a comprehensive discussion paper on the complex and tangled topic of the right to repair. Taking an interdisciplinary, holistic approach to the issue, the Productivity Commission shows a strong understanding that the topic of the right to repair is a multifaceted policy issue. Its draft report covers the fields of consumer law, competition policy, intellectual property, product stewardship, and environmental law. The Productivity Commission displays a great comparative awareness of developments in other jurisdictions in respect of the right to repair. The policy body is also sensitive to the international dimensions of the right to repair – particularly in light of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Productivity Commission puts forward a compelling package of recommendations, which will be useful in achieving law reform in respect of the right to repair in Australia.

Keywords: right to repair, copyright law, technological protection measures, contract law, designs law, trademark law, patent law, trade secrets, confidential information, repair information, consumer law, competition policy, e-waste, product stewardship, sustainable development, international law