Carveouts as Vendor Lock‑In

Manufacturers are pushing laws that carve 'critical infrastructure' exemptions into right-to-repair statutes so they can unilaterally decide which devices independent repairers may touch. By invoking cybersecurity, companies shift the power to classify products and gatekeep parts, tools and software updates away from owners and local repair markets. — If adopted widely, this tactic could hollow out right-to-repair laws nationwide, entrench vendor control, raise consumer costs, and normalize regulatory capture under the guise of security.