Is Now Finally the Tipping Point for the Right To Repair Movement?

I remember an old Sony DVD player I had once that suddenly stopped working. The display flashed something called a “C:13” error. Google searches revealed message boards highlighting the coincidence that this error code often seemed to appear in the 13th month of ownership of a product ... right after the 1 year warranty expires.

I hope that part was a joke, but an increasing number of the digital products we use do seem to have a planned obsolescence built in. The “Right to Repair” movement has long sought to change this, and the pandemic combined with a new administration in the US may finally be giving this long overdue cause the push it needs.