Apple's IP Lawyers May Force YouTube MacBook Repair Videos Offline Over Schematic

Legal Issues

from the still-keeping-that-on-the-down-low dept

It’s no secret that Apple does not want you to monkey around with your device’s innards or to take it anywhere but to its own stores for repairs. The company has continually screwed around with the screws that keep its hardware together in an effort to prevent DIYers and non-Apple-approved repair shops from opening its devices.

Now, Apple can’t legally prevent anyone from utilizing third parties for repairs, as explained in this Motherboard article by Jason Koebler. A 40-year-old piece of legislation states companies can’t void warranties simply because the devices have been opened.

What almost no one knows is that these stickers and clauses are illegal under a federal law passed in 1975 called the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.

To be clear, federal law says you can open your electronics without voiding the warranty, regardless of what the language of that warranty says.

Apple (far from the only offender) maneuvers around this by hinting heavily that you’re fucked if you choose to let anyone but an approved Apple tech crack open your iPhone.

Apple’s iPhone warranty is less explicit, but has this message in bold: “Important: Do not open the Apple Product. Opening the Apple Product may cause damage that is not covered by this Warranty. Only Apple or an AASP should perform service on this Apple Product.” Apple is also known to refuse to service phones that have been opened by their owners or by third party repair professionals.

“May” and “should” are Apple’s hedges against federal law. Apple figures this is enough to discourage people from doing repairs themselves or letting others do it for them. The letter of the law is respected. The spirit of the law, however, is subjected to a series of mean-spirited subtweets.

Apple further funnels repairwork to its own techs by refusing to release schematics and other repair-related info. Various “right to repair” bills are seeking to open up these walled repair gardens, but these have faced heavy opposition from several companies — the same ones that periodically petition the Library of Congress to make repairs/modifications of their products illegal under the DMCA.

So, it’s hardly a surprise that an “unauthorized” repairman would post a video hinting that he’s facing legal threats from Apple for showing people how to fix their own MacBooks. (via Slashdot)

Louis Rossmann’s YouTube channel has been an invaluable source of detailed tutorials for DIY repairs, some of them detailing how to perform component replacements rather than the whole-board approach typically taken by Apple Stores. But in a somewhat vague video posted last night, Rossmann indicates that they may be about to disappear.

While Rossmann doesn’t say so explicitly, he implies that he has received a takedown notice for his videos, and Reddit is speculating that Apple may be behind it. It’s unclear what might form the basis of any takedown notice, though Rossmann does express strong views on Apple’s approach to repairs, and some of the videos do include Apple schematics. We’ve reached out to Apple and will update with any response.

The video is indeed cryptic. Rossmann points out that videos can be downloaded and hints that his channel may not be live for long. He also alludes to “being strong” and ready for a long fight, while noting all of his videos may soon be deleted.

The hints dropped here were enough that Game Revolution ran with the story, but subsequently deleted it when Rossmann provided more information. 9-to-5 Mac, however, kept its story live and updated it with Rossmann’s comments. Apple isn’t going to sue Rossmann or somehow shut down his YouTube account.

Louis Rossmann has posted a follow-up video in which he says that he has been contacted by IP lawyers acting for Apple but is not currently being faced with a lawsuit. He said there is an issue with a schematic, but Apple is said to like the channel.

Rossmann also says the conversation was “friendly” and that Apple’s concern with the schematic was “understandable,” but notes that it’s a holiday weekend and he likely won’t know anything more about the company’s plans until Monday.

This is better behavior than one would expect from Apple, considering its history of making repair/DIY-unfriendly devices. But it also shows Apple is still interested in limiting the amount of repair-related information the public has access to. If it’s trying to keep him from displaying a schematic or using that info to help people repair their own devices, then its legal muscle will achieve the same end, without the collateral PR damage that would come from kicking an “unauthorized” repairman off the internet.

Filed Under: intellectual property, repairs, schematics, warranties
Companies: apple, youtube