歐盟成員國在上周圍繞洗碗機的效率和修理進行了投票。如果這聽起來有點與洗碗水一樣無聊的話，那么請回憶一下自家洗碗機上一次是什么時候壞的。在對應的法規出臺之后，洗碗機修理將成為一件十分容易、便宜的事情。然而，人們不能自行拆卸機器，因為此舉會導致保修的失效。因此，人們只能購買新的型號，然后扔掉舊機器。

盡管這對制造商來說是個好消息，但卻逐漸成為了令消費者頭疼的問題。英國廣播公司稱，歐盟和美國至少18個州的監管當局將開始聽取和考慮一系列相關議案，以期通過提升家電的耐用度和修理便利度，解決計劃報廢的影響。

上周的洗碗機投票只不過是修訂《2009年生態設計指令》的部分舉措。該法令的內容包羅萬象，從歐盟內銷售的真空吸塵器的能耗，到家用電器和電子產品的回收率等，無所不包。總的來說，歐盟將審視各類物品的制造法規，從照明和電視一直到大型家電，例如洗衣機和冰箱。

與此同時，維權人士已經在美國提出了法案草案，旨在讓消費者在修理和維護其財產方面獲得更大的話語權。美國國會圖書館在2015年裁決，農民在必要的情況下可在修理拖拉機等設備時對軟件進行修改，而這一裁決引發了拖拉機制造商約翰迪爾公司的反對，以及多個農業州的法律大戰。

在所謂的修理權運動中，包括《消費者報告》雜志和iFixit網站在內的機構一直在推廣迫使制造商做出讓步的相關標準，從而讓消費者或獨立修理店對其產品的維修將變得合理合法。《消費者報告》雜志今年早些時候稱，事實上，為了讓當地汽車機修廠獲得日漸增多的電動汽車的維修權，當局同樣施加了壓力。

這是因為制造商更希望能夠盡可能長久地掌握對產品的控制權。例如，歐洲協會Digital Europe向英國廣播公司透露，“法規草案限制了市場準入，偏離了國際公認的最佳實踐，而且不利于知識產權保護。”

維修協會的蓋伊·戈登·伯恩對《消費者報告》雜志說：“他們正在與客戶進行斗爭，但我并不認為這是一個能夠致勝的策略。”（財富中文網）

譯者：馮豐

審校：夏林

European Union member states have voted on dishwasher efficiency and repair at last week. If that sounds as dull as, well, dishwater, then you need to consider the last time your own dishwasher broke. With the right rules in place, it would be a cheap and easy fix. However, you’re not allowed to fiddle with the machine because it would invalidate the warranty. So, instead, you go and buy a new model and throw the old one on the dump.

While that’s good for manufacturers, it is increasingly becoming a problem for consumers. In the EU and at least 18 U.S. states, regulators are starting to listen and considering proposals that address the impact of planned obsolescence by making household goods sturdier and easier to mend, reports the BBC.

Last week’s dishwasher vote was just one of a series revising the 2009 Ecodesign Directive, which governs everything from how much energy a vacuum cleaner sold in the EU can use to how many household appliances and electronics are recycled. Put together, the EU is looking at the manufacturing rules surrounding everything from lighting to televisions and large home appliances, such as washing machines and fridges.

At the same time, activists have introduced draft laws in the U.S. that seek to give consumers more control over how they repair and maintain their property. The U.S. Library of Congress ruled in 2015 that farmers could modify software if necessary to repair devices such as tractors, prompting a backlash from tractor manufacturer John Deere and legislative battles in several farming states.

Consumer Reports (CR) and iFixit, among others in the so-called right to repair movement, have promoted standards that would force manufacturers to make it legal and practical for consumers, or independent repair shops, to get under the hood of their devices. In fact, it took such pressure to enable local car mechanics to get under the hood of increasingly electronic cars, CR reported earlier this year.

That’s because manufacturers prefer to keep control over their products as long as possible. For example, Digital Europe told the BBC that Europe’s “draft regulations limit market access, deviate from internationally-recognized best practices and compromise intellectual property.”

Gay Gordon-Byrne of the The Repair Association added to CR: “They’re fighting their customers. I don’t think that’s a winning strategy.”