Apple pursues an engineer who repairs MacBooks without permission

In May 2016, a simple American engineer, Luis Rossman, became a real Internet star when he published the video “ How unauthorized idiots repair Apple laptops .” In this video, he showed in detail how to diagnose and repair a malfunction on a MacBook Air motherboard using components that cost one dollar (rosin and wire), while at an Apple service center such repair requires replacing the motherboard and costs $ 750. Just one burned-out resistor - and they just throw out the old board.

Louis admitted then that many comments were published to his videos , including critics: they say, the guy doesn’t understand what he is doing, because the company does not provide him with official documentation and tools for testing and repairing branded equipment.

To make it difficult to repair the equipment yourself, Apple uses non-standard accessories, unique screws and screwdrivers, glues the battery to the case, etc.
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Rossman’s activities were not ignored by Apple’s lawyers — and they began to act. This was told by Louis himself.

The engineer reports that Apple representatives contacted him and made claims that he shows fragments of Apple’s copyrighted schemes in his videos. Accordingly, if he does not remove these videos, a lawsuit may be filed against him.

Fragments of Apple's schemes




Louis is not quite sure what to do in such a situation and therefore contacted his lawyer. He deleted a video about repairing a MacBook Air laptop and warned that all videos from his channel should be downloaded and saved locally just in case.

Several channels dedicated to the repair of Apple technology are published on Youtube, but after their latest videos, including the video “ Why I don’t use Apple technology ”, Louis Rossman became the most popular video blogger in this field with 176 thousand subscribers.

He also said that he was not allowed to talk about Apple's legal claims. Nevertheless, he believes that the truth is on his side, and he is obliged to resist a large corporation. The engineer said that he was fully aware that as a result of this struggle his channel on Youtube could be closed, and his company Rossmann Repair Group would cease to exist.



Now it remains only to guess what will happen to Luis Rossman as a result of his demarche. Some subscribers of his channel have already started downloading videos just in case. To do this, you can use, for example, the service KeepVid .

The problem with the repair of Apple equipment in unauthorized workshops is discussed in more detail in the article “ How to fix everything ”.

But this is only a temporary solution to the problem. If Apple continues to pursue the owners of independent repair shops and limit the possibility of self-repair, then soon there will be nothing to download. And everything goes to that, as indicated by other unpleasant news. For example, a few days ago, it announced the closure of the iconic Tekserve store in New York, which for many years sold parts for Apple equipment and helped repair Apple computers with their own hands. The store worked continuously for 29 years . People came here to repair a broken Apple laptop before the appearance of Apple Store brand stores.


The cult shop Tekserve in New York. Photo: Cristopher Lee for the New York Times

It is known that Apple is making every effort to impede the repair of branded equipment in unauthorized workshops. The company earns a lot from the sale of AppleCare + services, as well as from the sale of branded components. For example, the glass for the screen of the tablet iPad Pro costs $ 599 . Apple maintains a closed ecosystem for the repair and maintenance of laptops, smartphones and tablets and effectively squeezes excess profits from consumers.

In order to maintain control over the infrastructure for repairing proprietary technology, continue to receive super-profits, and in order to “guarantee the quality of service for its users,” Apple is blocking laws on free electronics repair in the United States. In the past, the “right to repair” legislation was tried in four states - Minnesota, Nebraska, Massachusetts and New York. Bills propose to amend the current legislation regarding the sale of electronic equipment. The amendments simplify the repair of equipment in third-party workshops: the manufacturer is obliged to provide all the necessary documentation for such repairs in independent workshops, as well as provide independent repair shops and individuals with the same software tools and software updates needed for repairs that the manufacturer provides to its select partners.

The first state that could pass a law on the “right to repair” could be New York. Despite the fact that last year Apple lobbyists managed to block the first version of the Senate Bill S3998A bill . In June 2016, a vote on the bill was to be held. Unfortunately, the lobbyists of the Apple Corporation once again managed to slow it down and return it back to the committee for consideration.

Unlike many other manufacturers of computer equipment, Apple continues to hide the documentation and diagrams of their devices. As the story of Luis Rossman shows, the company also closely follows that outsiders did not publish these documents and did not advocate harmful ideas about how Apple hardware can be repaired with their own hands .

UPD . Louis Rossman today published another video in which he says that a lawyer contacted him and conveyed a message from Apple: they say that they like his channel on Youtube, and in general they are very friendly guys. However, Rossman does not really believe in the friendliness of lawyers, and these pleasant words are unlikely to reduce the threat of a lawsuit.

UPD 2 . Backup of all videos from Rossman channel (151.4 GB)