Ouch.. a $35,000 ouch in fact. A Norway based 3rd-party repair company PCKompaniet is on the hook for $35,000CAD after being handed a loss in court over supposed counterfeit parts.
PCKompaniet Being Made An Example Of
Henrik Huseby scalp is on a pike in front of Apples headquarters now; this is a warning to all of us 3rd party repair companies to be careful about the parts you are getting… they will nail your ass to the wall if they get a chance. The details of this case are complex, but basically it boils down to the fact the factories Henrik got his parts from were printing the Apple logo on them, when they didn’t have licence to do so.. making them counterfeit.
BUT – and regardless of how law is interrupted anywhere – why is Henrick being held responsible for this and forced to bankrupt his company and possibly ruin his life as a result? If I walk into a store and unknowingly give them a counterfeit bill, do the police bust my ass without looking for where that bill came from? How am I responsible for unknowingly using that bill? By extension, as a 3rd party repair company, why am I held responsible for what my suppliers are doing?
Apple’s Two-Faced Approach To Right To Repair
Apple has historically taken a rather aggressive stance to companies like mine. Recently though, we’ve seen gaps in the armour, glimmers of hope that they are finally conceding to the reality 3rd party repair companies are not the great enemy of the consumer. We’ve seen more modular designs, more repair friendly designs and the maintaining of the the iPhone repairability even. But situations like this, the ominous threat of the T2 chip, the failed 3rd Party Repair Program are all very visible banners of their continued hostility.
Apple stands to gain significant public support if they were to about-face and support the right-to-repair movement. Not only would it be a win-win for customers, it would show customers that Apple genuinely cares about the longevity and quality of their products.
Continuing Stepping On Egg Shells
Until then, I have no choice but to continue with business as normal, or my kids don’t eat. I know each day though that that Sword Of Damocles remains above my head, and it’s despairing to see it fall on a fellow small business owner just trying provide for his customers and feed his family.
For some good commentary and details on the case, check out Louis Rossman…
- Western Digital My Book Live Hack – KEEP IT DUMB & LOCAL! - August 24, 2021
- WWDC 2021 – macOS Monterey Gets Forked - June 21, 2021
- TELUS Health Companion – BYO Apple Watch - May 27, 2021
Facebook Comments