Louis Rossmann

On October 8, 2018, CBC News ran an investigative piece on Apple's business practices surrounding repair of their devices. They went undercover in an Apple Store with a malfunctioning MacBook Pro looking for a quote on repair. They explained that the screen was simply black, and they could not see anything on it. The Apple Store quoted a customer in their undercover video $1200 for a logic board replacement, explaining that the liquid contact indicators (LCIs) had been triggered, which would only happen if they had been in contact with any type of liquid. They concluded the whole logic board needed to be swapped out, in addition to the top case.[7] When taken to Rossmann's repair shop, Rossmann explained that there was no liquid damage, and that simple room humidity likely set off the LCIs. He also explained that a pin that connected the MacBook Pro's backlight was simply not seated properly. After seating the pin properly, the MacBook Pro was seen working again. Rossmann explained his repair shop would likely not charge for simply re-seating the backlight pin.[8]

He has also spoken and testified in right to repair hearings in Boston,[9] Maine,[10] Washington state,[11] and Nebraska.[12]

Rossmann has also appeared in right to repair campaigns related to farming machinery in Nebraska in March 2020.[13] He was initially completely against any restrictions by companies on farmers from repairing their equipment (which might have resulted in voiding the equipment's warranty). However, Rossmann later admitted that his opinions were not completely correct due to a lack of expertise in farming machinery; this came after he received mail from a John Deere employee stating how allowing farmers to tune their tractors can result in harm to themselves and possible violation of environmental laws.[14]

Rossmann has criticized the design of the third-generation MacBook Air. He notes that the fan is not positioned above the CPU, nor connected to it via any radiator circuit, calling it a "placebo fan" which can easily lead to overheating and damage.[15][16]

In March 2021, Rossmann started a crowdfunding campaign on the GoFundMe platform, with the goal of raising $6 million to start a direct ballot initiative protecting consumer right to repair in the state of Massachusetts, citing previous similar successes in the automotive industry.[17] As of July 2021, the campaign has raised over $750,000.[18]

In order to help right to repair efforts, he created[19] Repair Preservation Group,[20] a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.[21] The organization's efforts are mainly concentrated in spreading the word about the right to repair and publishing documentation on an online wiki for repairing devices.[22] Rossmann also directs the Repair Preservation Group Action Fund,[23] which is a 501(c)(4) non-profit that actively lobbies for the passing of right to repair legislations.[24]

In July 2021, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak endorsed Rossmann's right-to-repair efforts and called for open sourcing in a Cameo video requested by Rossmann. Wozniak spoke about how electronic devices used to come with schematics, allowing anyone with the expertise to repair, if not improve, their devices, and credited this openness for the success of the Apple II.[25][26][27]

On October 18, 2018, Rossmann uploaded a video entitled "Apple & Customs STOLE my batteries, that they won't even provide to AASPs."[28] In the video, Rossmann explains that U.S. Customs seized his package containing 20 Apple MacBook batteries, worth US$1,068 (equivalent to $1,245 in 2022), labeling them as counterfeit goods.[29] He claims the sole reason for the seizure was the batteries he was importing bore Apple's trademark and feels it is retribution for the CBC News piece, as Rossmann had been importing MacBook batteries for years without incident until shortly after the CBC story was published.[30][31]

In 2018, Rossmann testified as a witness in a lawsuit from Apple towards an independent smartphone repair shop owner in Norway, Henrik Huseby, regarding the right to repair and authorized smartphone parts. The Norwegian court originally sided with Huseby but ruled in favor of Apple in 2019 after an appeal hearing showed Huseby had been using counterfeit parts.[32][3] On June 5, 2019, Rossmann posted a video on YouTube where he appeared as a key witness in the case.[3][33] In a June 29 video he explained that the case ended with the court ruling in favor of Apple Inc. as the repair shop in question was using counterfeit parts, a detail Rossmann claims he was not aware of before testifying.[34]

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