About

Professor Leanne Wiseman is pleased to invite you to attend a public lecture presented by Anthony Rosborough, Assistant Professor of Law & Computer Science at Dalhousie University and Doctoral Researcher at the European University Institute.

The Right to Repair has become front of mind for policymakers and consumers in recent years. It promises to combat planned obsolescence, reduce costs, and give consumers greater choice and access to the parts, tools, and information necessary for the repair of everyday products, equipment, and devices. Public interest groups and governments around the world have successfully implemented legal reforms to achieve these goals, albeit primarily as part of consumer law frameworks.

But a lesser-explored dimension of the right to repair is its relationship to competition policy and market power. When access to parts, tools, information, and software is restricted, it is not only consumers that suffer. Independent technicians, suppliers of parts, tools, and follow-on innovators are kept from doing business. In practice, this impacts a broad range of industries, including motor vehicles, agricultural machinery, medical devices, and many others. While repair restrictions result in consumer “lock in”, they also create market “lock out” for manufacturer-adjacent and independent businesses. This can undermine fair competition and, in some cases, concentrate power held by a small group of original manufacturers.

In this public lecture, Rosborough will explore the competition and anti-trust aspects of the Right to Repair, highlighting the importance and value of independent repairers and suppliers in secondary markets. This includes a look at the complex relationship between the exercise of intellectual property (IP) rights and competition policy and a comparison of proposed reforms to enable the right to repair across a number of jurisdictions. Particular focus will be given to recently proposed changes to Canada’s Competition Act that address the Right to Repair. Overall, the talk will highlight the relevance and importance of looking at Right to Repair policy reforms through the lens of market power and fair competition.

This public lecture is hosted by Professor Leanne Wiseman's ARC Future Fellowship. Unlocking Digital Innovation: IP and the Right to Repair, ARC, Law Futures Centre and Griffith University.

Location

QCA Lecture Theatre
S05_2.04, Griffith Southbank campus,

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