Imagine if you bought a car — but then the manufacturer went out of business, which meant your car suddenly ceased to function. Or imagine that the manufacturer was purchased, and now requires you to have cameras installed inside your car to continue to use it.

That’s where we are at. It’s a rip-off for consumers, and it’s bad for the environment, as usable products suddenly become doorstops overnight.

The “free market” is incapable of dealing with issues that happen years after the initial purchase has been made. We need a consumers’ bill of rights that guarantees that we can continue to use the product indefinitely.

In particular, the practice of a large company unilaterally changing the terms of a contract on a piece of equipment that you have already purchased is downright offensive and I have no idea how they get away with this.