EE. UU vs. Apple Inc.: a propósito de los litigios suscitados por la obsolescencia programada tecnológica

Résumé

Planned obsolescence is becoming a more frequent motive of litigation in the international sphere, which damages are being claimed by both public authorities and individuals affected by such behaviour, that seek fair retribution. Therefore, this paper aims to analyse different private actions against the technological company, Apple, who has apparently taken advantage of consumers’ lack of knowledge of their area of business, to put into practice tactics for ending their products’ lifespan and by doing so, increase their demand. Particularly, this paper discusses the substantive juridical grounds alleged by different class actions in the United States in the last years, against Apple, and their connection with planned obsolescence. The results of the research show that there is a clear increase in the litigation of the technological planned obsolescence around the world and that the arguments used in those cases are mainly private, despite the fact that public concerns are also present.