“I want to thank ventilator manufacturers such as GE for providing access to service documents,” Nathan Proctor, head of the right to repair campaign at the PIRG, said in a statement. “When technicians can’t access service manuals, it puts unnecessary barriers to fixing life-saving equipment.”

While the need for medical equipment technical manuals is pressing given the pandemic, it fits into a larger conversation. For years, right to repair proponents have argued that tech companies have prevented owners and independent technicians from completing basic fixes. Companies like Apple argue the repairs are too complex or not safe, though that’s debatable. Europe is already pushing for broader right to repair legislation, and the current demand for medical device service could make the battle more prominent in the US, too.

“We hope this also serves as an example about why restricting repair is harmful,” Proctor said. “It’s time we removed these repair restrictions for all the equipment in hospitals. We hope that manufacturers continue to expand their cooperation with independent technicians and hospital in-house biomeds to provide what they need to fix equipment.”

“In order to keep equipment that is critical to treat COVID-19 working with the least possible downtime, medical device manufacturers should immediately release all repair documentation and software, schematics and manuals for that equipment, especially ventilators.” said Proctor. He added that the statistics show that independent repair, not conducted by a technician authorized by the company, is safe. And that, where personnel are stretched and medical equipment overtaxed, it could mean the difference between life and death.

Currently, iFixit, which has often partnered with the PIRG on its own right to repair campaigns, has begun building a catalog of ventilator service manuals. In a statement, the company’s Kyle Wiens says that during other crises — like the 2017 Las Vegas shootings — ventilator access was a problem. He added that, if there is a crisis in the US, there’s a risk of machines failing en-masse, with people powerless to fix them. That’s why the company is asking people in the medical community to share service manuals and information about how the technology is used in hospitals.

The PIRG doesn’t name the event that likely motivated its intervention, but it was likely inspired by the events unfolding in Italy. An Italian hospital was overwhelmed with patients needing ventilators, each one requiring a valve that can only be used for eight hours at a time. With the valves in short supply and no fresh stock available, the hospital was put in touch with a local 3D-printing company. Its engineers took one of the valves and reverse-engineered a version in just three hours that could be 3D-printed. Unfortunately, the company that made the valves originally refused to make the designs available, and has threatened legal action.

It’s likely that the next few months will be a flashpoint between right to repair advocates and companies fighting the push for new legislation. The battle has been brewing for a while, with gadget fans saying that major tech companies have prevented repair technicians from keeping devices working for longer. It’s also impacted industries like farming, where John Deere uses restrictive technology to prevent unauthorized maintenance. Given Europe’s push for far broader right to repair legislation, it’ll be interesting to see what happens on this side of the Atlantic.

If the European Parliament were to pass legislation, it would extend its eco-design law to cover phones, tablets and computers, and likely force tech companies to completely rethink the designs of their products. The legislation would also require those same companies to provide easy to access information related to the repairability and durability of their products. At the moment, most consumers have to turn to websites like iFixit to find information on how to fix their devices. “Single-use will be restricted, premature obsolescence tackled and the destruction of unsold durable goods banned,” the Commission said.

Any right to repair bill the European Union passes is likely to have a significant impact outside of its borders because of the fact it says it will “ensure” future trade deals “reflect the enhanced objectives of the circular economy.”

The plan is one part of the European Green Deal, a policy initiative the EU announced last year. Like the Green New Deal advocated by congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the goal of the European Green Deal is to transform the continent’s economy in light of the climate crisis.

“The linear growth model of ‘take, make, use discard’ has reached its limits,” Virginijus Sinkevičius, the commissioner for the environment, told The Guardian. “With the growth of the world population and consumption, this linear model pushes us closer and closer to a resource crisis. The only way ahead is decoupling economic growth from extraction of primary resources and their environmental impacts.” He also said the EU won’t be able to meet its target to produce zero emissions by 2050 if it doesn’t implement the recommendations.

The plan is the latest attempt by the EU to tackle electronic waste. In January, European Union lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of legislation to push to device manufacturers to adopt a shared charging cable standard. The new legislation is likely to face stiff resistance from manufacturers. Ahead of the charger vote, Apple said any regulation would “stifle innovation” and ultimately hurt consumers more than it would help them.

Apple COO Jeff Williams says that the move will enable small mom-and-pop repair outfits to get the same tools and gear as authorized repair stores. And that it’ll help improve confidence that users are getting a trustworthy service without going to an official Apple store, or one of their proxies. For now, the program is limited to “out of warranty iPhone repairs,” so your broken iPad may still need to be sent back to Apple.

The program is free to join, as long as businesses employs an “Apple-certified” technician, although certification is also, apparently, free. Apparently, the company has been running a quiet pilot with a handful of indie stores across the world, who are receiving genuine parts for use. And Apple says that third-parties can source parts and tools for the same price as current Authorized Service Providers.

Earlier this year, Apple also said that it was working with Best Buy to ensure that Geek Squad, the retailer’s support arm, will be able to offer same-day repairs. This is likely also a reflection of the spike in people opting to replace their phone batteries when Apple cut the price to $29 in the wake of throttlegate. During the discount period, 11 million people paid for a replacement, up from the usual two million.

Expanding the repair program is a long-overdue move after Apple received significant criticism about how it handles iPhone repairs. The company has sought to frustrate third-party repair programs by making iPhones less functional after they’ve been fixed. That included a warning if you use a stock replacement battery and, in come cases, breaking even genuine replacement displays and TouchID replacements.

Because Apple has often talked-up its green credentials, the fact it wouldn’t allow basic iPhone repairs smacked of hypocrisy. After all, replacing the battery of an otherwise perfectly-serviceable iPhone 7 is better for the planet than buying a new iPhone XR. The fact that Apple also charged a significant premium for these basic repairs raised hackles for the same reasons.

Relaxing this policy and allowing third-parties to fix common iPhone issues is a good start, especially if it results in lower prices and longer-lasting devices. It’ll be interesting to see if other Apple hardware, like its laptops and tablets, get added to the program in future. Especially given the contentious battles between the company and right-to-repair advocates like Louis Rossmann.