US Copyright Office says you can fix a game console (but only the optical drive)

Enlarge / Feel free to repair this PS3 disc drive. (credit: Getty Images | sydmsix)

The librarian of Congress has provided a new exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that will let people repair optical drives on video game consoles. The new rule will also allow users to perform “diagnosis, maintenance, and repair” of other types of software-enabled devices marketed to consumers.

The US Copyright Office today announced the decision, which came from a set of recommendations by Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter. The office simultaneously released a final rule in which Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden adopted the recommendations.

“For the reasons discussed in the Register’s Recommendation, the Register recommended expanding the existing exemption for diagnosis, maintenance, and repair of certain categories of devices to cover any software-enabled device that is primarily designed for use by consumers,” the final rule said. “For video game consoles, the Register concluded that an exemption is warranted solely for the repair of optical drives.”