A White House roundtable event recently held by the National Economic Council (NEC) brought together key administration officials, state legislative leaders, and industry representatives nationwide to discuss the growing support for right-to-repair legislation, according to a press release.
Participants included NEC Director Lael Brainard, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan, and Allstate (CAR Coalition member) Senior Vice President Don Jones, who spoke on how repair restrictions from original manufacturers hamper the work independent shops are able to perform.
Speakers highlighted not only the impact on independent businesses but the growing bipartisan support that right-to-repair legislation, such as the SMART and REPAIR Acts, has garnered.
Specific issues addressed included restrictions such as patent abuse, which Khan and Brainard described as needlessly increasing the cost of repairs, making vehicles less safe, and preventing independent shops from being able to fairly compete in the industry.
“As both the FTC’s work and public reporting have documented, companies all too often will use a whole set of restrictive practices including limiting the availability of parts and tools, using exclusionary designs and product decisions that make independent repair less safe, and making assertions of patent and trademark rights that are overbroad,” Khan stated.
Jones, representing the CAR Coalition, also referenced patent abuse as holding back aftermarket production of parts and preventing consumers from having a wider range of options for vehicle repairs.
“One way to increase consumer choice is to bolster aftermarket part manufacturing,” Jones said. “Unfortunately, the manufacturing of aftermarket parts has been severely limited due to OEM use of design patents on basic cosmetic car parts.”
As vehicles continue to become more technologically advanced, Jones argued that right-to-repair legislation is needed to create a level playing field for independent businesses and empower consumer choice.
