Compliance report 41-C · fictional scenario assessment
How close is it?
This scenario is fictional. The Department reminds readers that resemblance to current events is coincidental and unwelcome.
Finding
Every law of the Lock has a real counterpart, already on the books or already in the newsroom. What follows is the fiction next to the facts. The links go to the real world.
| In the world of the Lock | In 2026 |
|---|---|
| Parts pairing is written into statute (§112). | Parts pairing is real, no statute needed — components are serialized to boards today. Colorado, Minnesota, New York and California have passed right-to-repair laws to push back. Colorado HB24-1121. |
| Schematics are contraband (§107). | No law required. Manufacturers routinely refuse to sell service documentation to independent shops. The FTC studied what that costs you: “Nixing the Fix.” |
| Sealed-unit certification; opening voids everything. | “Warranty void if opened” stickers were already illegal under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act — the FTC warned six companies about exactly this in 2018. FTC, April 2018. |
| Sunset Mode throttles expired devices “for your safety.” | Phones really were remotely throttled. Owners found out, sued, and there was a settlement. The vendor's own explanation is public: iPhone battery and performance. |
| Only Certified Intervention Centers may touch devices. | The FTC voted unanimously in 2021 to increase scrutiny of repair restrictions, finding they cost consumers and small businesses billions. FTC, July 2021. |
| The Device Respect curriculum teaches children not to be curious. | The lesson is already taught, in a softer voice: opening things is dangerous and voids your warranty. We just invented the worksheet. |
| The grandfather clause: pre-2029 machines may legally be understood. | This is the one piece we invented. In the real world, nothing saves old machines automatically. People do — usually with a soldering iron and a Saturday. |
This world is fiction. Barely.
Repair is still legal — for now. There are still benches. One of them is in Longmont, Colorado, and it takes walk-ins.
Book a real repair