As Americans, we assume a lot and take even more for granted. For example, we assume that absent natural disasters we will have sufficient water and electricity for our needs and that the telephone will always work. We also assume that if we buy a piece of land and record the deed, that our ownership of that land will be uncontested. However, behind our blasé acceptance of these things as the natural order, there are complex legal and practical rules and concepts that support the system and allow us to "assume" a right without further thought.

One right that we take for granted is the "right to repair". Whenever we purchase a mechanical or electrical piece of equipment, be it an automobile, a toaster or vacuum cleaner, we expect to be able to have it repaired when it breaks down. This assumption relies upon several other assumptions, i.e., that there is a fairly adequate supply of spare parts; that service technicians have adequate knowledge to repair the equipment; and most of all, that no one can legally prevent us from repairing the equipment. However, the latter is not always true. In fact, for many legal reasons a manufacturer can, and sometimes does, prevent its products from being repaired.

Most rebuilders have run into this problem at least once. The manufacturer won