非营利组织 Fulu（Freedom from Unethical Limitations on Users）用「维修悬赏」方式，鼓励外部高手拆解并移除厂商刻意加上的限制（例如反维修设计、禁用第三方零件、停止软体支援）。标准悬赏为 10,000 美元；捐款者可加码指定议题，Fulu 也会再配对加码，最高再加 10,000 美元，使奖金池随捐款累积而增长。

案例之一是 Google 在 10 月停止第一、第二代 Nest 恒温器的软体支援，导致装置仍能运作却失去可控制性。两组开发者几乎同时提交修复方案，Fulu 最终各自支付约 14,000 美元（共两笔全额付款）。另一案例是 Molekule Air Pro 与 Air Mini 以滤网上的 NFC 晶片与 DRM 锁定原厂耗材；本周 Fulu 宣布该悬赏被完成并支付超过 10,000 美元。

这类「修复」常触及 1998 年《数位千禧年著作权法》（DMCA）第 1201 条的反规避规定：绕过加密、密码或 DRM 可能违法，公开释出工具或方法也有法律风险，因此有人选择证明可行但不公开细节。Fulu 认为重点不只是把修补散播出去，而是用具体金额与案例凸显一部「27 年前」的法律如何抑制维修、所有权与创新；例如 Xbox Series X 磁碟机加密绕过的悬赏已因捐款升至 30,000 美元以上，且能避免消费者被迫花约 700 美元（含安装）更换新品。

Fulu (Freedom from Unethical Limitations on Users) is a nonprofit that runs “repair bounties” to expose and disable manufacturer-imposed restrictions—anti-repair design, blocked third‑party parts, and abandoned software support. Its standard reward is $10,000 for a proven workaround; donors can pool money for a target device, and Fulu matches contributions up to an additional $10,000, growing the prize as donations arrive.

One bounty revived first- and second‑generation Nest thermostats after Google ended software support in October, leaving devices functional but no longer controllable. Two near-simultaneous submissions led Fulu to pay both developers the full amount—about $14,000 each—despite one arriving slightly later. This week Fulu also announced it paid more than $10,000 for a Molekule Air Pro/Air Mini fix aimed at defeating filter DRM enforced via an NFC chip.

These “fixes” can violate DMCA Section 1201 (a 1998 US anti‑circumvention law), which bans bypassing encryption/DRM and can chill publication of tools; one winner chose not to release details publicly. Fulu argues the point is to quantify how much user control is being withheld and to pressure legal reform of a 27‑year‑old rule. Bounties also scale: the Xbox Series X disk‑drive encryption workaround has climbed to over $30,000, framed against consumers potentially paying about $700 (installed) to replace hardware that could otherwise be repaired.