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Eric Lundgren

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Eric Lundgren
Eric Lundgren Currently
Born
Lynden, Washington, US
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Social Entrepreneur, Innovator
Years active2002-present
Known forElectronic Waste Recycling, Lithium-Ion Batteries, Global Philanthropy, Electronics right to repair

Clifford Eric Lundgren is an American social entrepreneur, innovator and advocate best known for recycling electronic waste and developing cost-effective Lithium-ion battery solutions. He is the current CEO of BigBattery. He was the COO of MiningSky and Founder of IT Asset Partners, Inc. (ITAP), an electronics reuse and Hybrid Recycling company.

Lundgren is a globally known advocate for the right to repair movement, and his sacrifices have become a catalyst for widespread legislation change.[1] In 2017, Lundgren served a year in prison after pleading guilty to copying 28,000 Microsoft restore discs that he intended to use in recycled computers.[2][3] Media attention surrounding his sentencing helped charge the right to repair movement, which advocates for building a society that repairs and reuses as much as possible.[4][5] This response led to support from the White House and The President of the United States, resulting in an Executive Order, asking the FTC to increase consumers' ability to repair equipment on their own.[6][7][8][9] Microsoft, the FCC, and even Apple have now committed to supporting the very thing that sent Lundgren to prison.[10] His story was the focus of a 2019 Vice Media production which covered all aspects of his legal situation in detail. [11]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he donated $2.6M worth of Alcohol Wipes, millions of masks, hazmat suits, and nitro gloves to frontline workers. Lundgren sent 34 mobile generators to local hospitals to power their parking lot triage centers.[12][13]

At the 8th Annual Wharton DC Innovation Summit on July 14, 2022, Eric Lundgren received the Benjamin Franklin Innovation Award, recognized as an American leader in Sustainable Battery Innovation.[14]

Early life and education

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Lundgren was born and raised in Lynden, Washington, where at a young age began recycling computers from a local bank.[15] He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Studies from Babson College.[16]

Career

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Recycling companies

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In 2002 Lundgren moved to Los Angeles, and started his first electronics recycling company, Environmental Computer Associates (ECA), where he worked with a number of large companies including American Airlines.[17] He served as the CEO of the company until 2010, before selling to Access Computer Products Inc. (acquired by Waste Management Inc.)[18]

In 2006 Lundgren traveled to China and lived there for five years learning about electronic recycling and finding ways to send cheap parts to America to prolong the lifecycle of electronics.[17][19] Upon returning to the US, Lundgren founded IT Asset Partners, Inc. in late 2012.[20][21] The company repurposed enterprise and consumer electronics, lithium-ion batteries, harvested generic parts and components, and recycled e-waste for bellwether technology companies.[citation needed]

Lundgren said, "95 percent of a computer, such as the battery and the circuits, are generic and can be reused or repurposed."[19] He devoted much time to recovering discarded batteries, whether from electric cars or computers, and reusing them in wheelchairs, electronics, and various vehicles. In 2009, Lundgren founded Source Captain Inc. in order to help American buyers bypass the broker process to source direct certified factories on a global scale.[20]

Lundgren launched the first "electronic hybrid recycling" facility in the United States, which turns discarded cell phones and other electronics into functional devices, slowing the stream of harmful chemicals and metals into landfills and the environment.[17]

Lundgren in Ghana on clean up e-waste project

Philanthropy

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In 2014, Lundgren was an honorary guest of President John Dramani Mahama, Lundgren lived in Accra, Ghana and worked with the President to solve the country's eWaste epidemic, providing new tools and solutions for eWaste Processing. He received awards from the GIPC and Ghanaian EPA for his solutions leading to the eWaste clean-up of Agbogbloshie, Accra: one of the most toxic places on earth.

In 2016, IT Asset Partners, Inc. undertook an initiative where it repaired and donated more than 14,000 cellphones for "Cellphones for Soldiers", to benefit US soldiers deployed overseas.[22]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Eric imported and donated $2.6M worth of Alcohol Wipes to communities. He and his team also imported and donated tens of millions of masks, more than 150,000 hazmat suits, and over 40 million nitro gloves to frontline workers in the American healthcare system.[23] He and his team set up dozens of solar-powered trailers to keep hospitals up and running in the Greater Los Angeles area.[24]

Other projects

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In 2017, Lundgren converted a salvaged BMW known as "The Phoenix" to an electric vehicle, modifying it with 90% recycled parts to become the world's most efficient electric vehicle with a Guinness Book World Record distance of 999.5 miles on a single charge.[25][26][27][28] The Phoenix has also surpassed Elon Musk & Tesla Model S P100D's world record of 1083 km (673 miles) on a single charge by traveling 1,203 km (748 miles) on real California highways and streets at freeway speeds and in stop-and-go conditions, averaging 52 miles per hour.[29][30][31]

Lundgren has been featured as an honorary speaker at several events regarding eWaste and his work with PIRG, Right to Repair, and The President of the United States to pass an Executive Order in support of Right to Repair.[32][additional citation(s) needed]

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While living in China from 2006 to 2011 one of his Source Captain projects was to manufacture replacement "restore disks". The restore discs are usually supplied by computer-makers as a way for users to reinstall Windows with preinstalled drivers to a hard drive if it crashes.[33] The disks can be used only on a computer that already has a license for the Windows Operating System.

As COO of IT Asset Partners, Inc., Lundgren produced and shipped 28,000 restore discs to a broker in Florida in 2012. Their plan was to provide the discs to used-computer buyers who wouldn't have to take the time to create the discs themselves.[34]

US Customs intercepted a shipment of the restore disks imported from China in 2012 and referred the case to federal prosecutors.[35] Federal prosecutors filed a 21 count indictment against Lundgren for copyright violations of the Microsoft operating system.[36] Initially, federal prosecutors valued the discs at $299 each, or the cost of a brand new Windows operating system, and Lundgren's indictment claimed he had cost Microsoft $8.3 million in lost sales.[37]

Lundgren and his defense team disagreed with the charges and stated he was providing replacement restore discs for convenience to people using recycled hardware that already had a license to use the Windows operating system. Lundgren also stated Microsoft gave away the restore disk for free so there was nothing to steal and there were no lost sales.[2][17][3][21]

Lundgren pled guilty to criminal trademark infringement and conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit Dell disks,[38][39] and in May, a judge for the US District Court in the Southern District of Florida sentenced him to 15 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $50,000 fine.[40][41][42][43][44][45]

Following his sentencing, Lundgren stepped down as CEO of IT Asset Partners, Inc In June 2017.

In April 2018, a federal appeals court in Miami rejected his claim that the "restore disks" he made to extend the lives of computers had no financial value, and instead ruled that he had infringed Microsoft's products, valuing the restore disks at $700,000 based on the $25 value Microsoft charged refurbishers for replacement licenses, which are bundled with a restore disk.[46][47]

US Public Interest Research Group defended Lundgren, issuing a statement over his sentencing through its right to repair campaign.[48]

Lundgren was released after serving one year of his fifteen-month sentence for good behavior.[2]

Lundgren considers his prison-time a catalyst that serves the greater good. Media attention to it helped charge the Right-to-repair movement, which advocates for building a society that repairs and reuses as much as possible.

Microsoft, the FCC and—at Lundgren's urging—even Apple have now committed to supporting the very thing that sent Lundgren to prison.[49]

References

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  1. ^ "FACT SHEET: Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy". 9 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Gault, Matthew (2019-10-07). "Meet the E-Waste Recycler Jailed for a Year for Infringing Microsoft's Copyright". Vice. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  3. ^ a b Swearingen, Jake (2018-05-08). "Why Is This Man Going to Prison for Copying Free Repair Software?". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
  4. ^ "Jail, activists, and old laptops: Welcome to Microsoft's nightmare". Mashable. 7 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Repair Advocates Call for Microsoft to Meet in Light of Lundgren Case".
  6. ^ "President Biden Doubles Down His Support for "Right-to-Repair" Movement". 8 February 2022.
  7. ^ "The Feds Are Finally Getting Involved in the Fight over Right to Repair". 20 July 2019.
  8. ^ https://pirg.org/california/articles/california-is-on-the-verge-of-winning-the-right-to-repair/
  9. ^ "Latest 'right-to-repair' law passed is the broadest one yet". June 2023.
  10. ^ https://thehill.com/policy/technology/591217-biden-highlights-right-to-repair-wins/
  11. ^ Counterfeiting Microsoft Windows Restore CDs Landed Me in Prison for a Year, 6 October 2019, retrieved 2024-02-08
  12. ^ https://abc7.com/amp/chatsworth-company-bigbattery-inc-loan/6050804/
  13. ^ "CEO donates millions of supplies to frontline workers: "I don't care about money"". 20 May 2020.
  14. ^ "Benjamin Franklin Innovation Award to Eric Lundgren, Energy Tech Pioneer".
  15. ^ "Better than Tesla: An interview with Eric Lundgren - the man who's built a new electric vehicle out of electronic waste". October 9, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  16. ^ Alumni US, Babson College, Greater Boston Area
  17. ^ a b c d High, Peter (June 20, 2017). "A Recycling Entrepreneur Has Been Sentenced To 15 Months In Prison". Forbes. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  18. ^ "Waste Management Subsidiary Acquires Access Computer Products Inc. and Mordell LLC". Waste360. 2 August 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  19. ^ a b Jackman, Tom (February 15, 2018). "Eric Lundgren, 'e-waste' recycling innovator, faces prison for trying to extend life span of PCs". Washington Post. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  20. ^ a b "Former e-scrap executive remains free pending appeal - E-Scrap News". E-Scrap News. July 20, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  21. ^ a b "Eric Lundgren – An Electronics Recycling Innovator Is Going To Prison For His Innovation". Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  22. ^ "OUI, Microsoft et Google n'hésitent pas à écraser les petits nouveaux". 2018-02-27.
  23. ^ "Environmentalist donates millions of supplies for frontline workers". 21 May 2020.
  24. ^ "Heroes Among Us: Chatsworth company loans mobile solar trailers to hospitals | FOX 11 Los Angeles".
  25. ^ "Eric Lundgren Pulled A BMW Out Of The Trash And Drove 748 Miles On One Charge". Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  26. ^ "Greatest distance by electric vehicle, single charge (non-solar)". Guinness World Records. 16 October 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  27. ^ "INTERVIEW: Meet Eric Lundgren, who broke the world record for EV range with a car made from trash". June 22, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  28. ^ "Recycler Builds Electric Vehicle Out of Discards". June 14, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  29. ^ "Meet The Guy Who Beat A Tesla P100D With His Trash Car". insideevs.com. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  30. ^ "Where do EV batteries go when they die?". December 5, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  31. ^ Castillo, Michelle (August 16, 2017). "Two hobbyists built an electric car from spare parts. Now they're going after a record set by Tesla". CNBC. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  32. ^ "Bio: Eric Lundgren".
  33. ^ "This E-Waste Recycler Is Going to Prison for Selling Windows Restore Discs to Put on Refurbished Computers". April 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  34. ^ "Electronics-recycling innovator is going to prison for trying to extend computers' lives". Los Angeles Times. May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  35. ^ Shaw, Frank (April 27, 2018). "The facts about a recent counterfeiting case brought by the US government". Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  36. ^ Wagstaff, Keith (June 7, 2018). "Jail, activists, and old laptops: Welcome to Microsoft's nightmare". Mashable. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  37. ^ Jackman, Tom (April 24, 2018). "Recycling innovator Eric Lundgren loses appeal on computer restore discs, must serve 15-month prison term". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  38. ^ "How Microsoft helped imprison a man for 'counterfeiting' software it gives away for free – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. May 25, 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  39. ^ "Microsoft attempts to spin its role in counterfeiting case – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. April 28, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  40. ^ "CEO sentenced to prison for counterfeit software scheme - E-Scrap News". E-Scrap News. June 15, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  41. ^ "The e-waste warrior, 28,000 copied Windows restore discs, and a fight to stay out of jail". February 21, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  42. ^ Jackman, Tom (29 April 2018). "E-waste recycler Eric Lundgren loses appeal on computer restore disks, must serve 15-month prison term". Washington Post. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  43. ^ "Eric Lundgren convicted of conspiracy and copyright infringement". Los Angeles Times. February 15, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  44. ^ "An e-waste recycler is going to jail for 'pirating' Windows". Engadget. April 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  45. ^ McKay, Tom (April 24, 2018). "E-Waste Innovator Will Go to Jail for Making Windows Restore Disks That Only Worked With Valid Licenses". Gizmodo. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  46. ^ "E-waste recycler gets 15 month prison sentence for creating worthless backup discs". February 16, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  47. ^ "Recycling innovator Eric Lundgren loses appeal on computer restore discs, must serve 15-month prison term". SFGate. April 24, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  48. ^ "E-waste recycler must serve 15-month sentence for selling discs with free Microsoft software". The Verge. April 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  49. ^ "Eric Lundgren: How to prevent waste and make money". 13 March 2022.
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