FTC revs up ‘right to repair’ fight with Harley-Davidson agreement
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Bike maker Harley-Davidson Inc and a Westinghouse generator maker have agreed to drop some restrictions on who repairs their merchandise, the U.S. Federal Commerce Fee stated on Thursday.
The company voted final yr to make it a precedence to push producers to cease requiring customers to make use of licensed sellers to restore gadgets starting from smartphones to farm gear. Critics say the observe raises costs for customers and shuts out impartial restore outlets.
The FTC stated in its criticism towards Harley-Davidson, which was launched similtaneously the consent settlement, that it had objected to language utilized by the bike maker equivalent to “the usage of components and repair procedures apart from Harley-Davidson accepted components and repair procedures might void the restricted guarantee.”
Beneath the settlement, Harley-Davidson agreed that it could not void warranties as a result of the customer used third-party components or unauthorized service facilities.
Out of doors generator maker MWE Investments, a part of Westinghouse Electrical Corp, made an identical settlement with the FTC.
Proper-to-repair was a part of a sweeping government order that President Joe Biden signed final summer time geared toward selling extra competitors within the financial system. The order addressed complaints as disparate as non-compete clauses in employee contracts and excessive costs for listening to aids.
Neither Harley-Davidson nor Westinghouse instantly responded to a request for remark.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Enhancing by Leslie Adler)
