A Feminist Right to Repair

Abstract

This essay critically engages with the contested space between the right to repair and copyright restrictions, using an intersectional feminist legal lens. Restricted access to repair not only continues to propagate classist barriers, where only the affluent can replace or adequately repair products, but also intensifies global forms of oppression. This is illustrated through the surge in e-waste from developed nations inundating developing countries, with harmful consequences to their populations. In championing a "feminist right to repair", the authors argue for expanded DMCA exemptions that would promote access to repair information and tools, challenging entrenched patterns of classism, imperialism, and the consequences of unchecked e-waste production.

Keywords: intersectional feminism, feminist legal theory, right to repair, copyright, DMCA, e-waste, environmental justice, sustainability