Manufactures often bluntly refuse to provide any documentation whatsoever after the product reaches an arbitrary age. Reguardless of whether it is within the manufacturers legal right to do so, it would be useful to have a database to track both refusals and satisfied requests. Consumers could use metrics that show, for example, that Canon will not provide docs on a 10 year old product. If a brand shows a history of not standing behind their own product after 5—10 years even to the extent of simply sending a PDF, consumers should be informed.

I guess the question is, at what level? There /could/ be a local regional DB, but perhaps more useful at the state/nation levels.

The broader discussion on what all should go into a right to repair petition to city council is here.