As our devices get smarter, barriers to repair have gone beyond the physical and become increasingly intangible. Software and repair information can be essential for making things ‘tick’, or bringing them back to life when they stop working. Yet they are covered by rules that can give their creators extensive and long-lasting powers that can pose challenges to those who want to repair, tinker, modify, and improve. Copyright law can place substantial constraints on users' rights to disassemble their products, and modify computer programs and other digital works. Independent repairers should not be found in a position whereby manufacturers’ extended powers over our devices block them from carrying repairs, or get them into trouble. To explore how software and copyright rules are essential in guaranteeing a comprehensive right to repair, we discussed with: - Steffen Vangerow, a trained technical craftsman who has spent several years repairing in the workshop and also on site with customers, who is currently running Vangerow GmbH. His years of working in repair have left him with real life experience how intellectual property rights hinder repairers in their work. - Anthony Rosborough, PhD Researcher at the European University Institute on Technological protection measures (TPMs) as a source of restriction under copyright law and possible solutions. - Claire Darmon, Head of Public Affairs Europe at Swappie on the dangers of copyright software limitations for the refurbishment industry. - Anne-Catherine Lorrain, Political Advisor on Legal Affairs (JURI), Greens-EFA Group in the European Parliament. Link to blog post on Repair & Copyright: https://repair.eu/news/evasive-action-ensuring-that-copyright-doesnt-become-a-barrier-to-the-right-to-repair/