Schematics

Congress hasn't gotten around to requiring that yet, as far as I know.

No. It's the manufacturer's intellectual property.

I was asking because a friend claimed that he was accustomed to getting a schematic in his time, he is much older than most of us.
I understand that it is a matter of protecting ones intellectual property, but most electronic equipment can be reversed engineered, so those that want badly to illegally copy will manage to find a way, and the hobbyist who doesn't have the resources will be stuck.

I would think the proper course would be to provide them when the unit goes out of production. When I was a Meridian dealer I could not get a schematic for the 605 amps I was using but I recently requested and received one as they are no longer in production. I have not been a dealer for years. Some companied just want to corner the repair market on their products; I have this problem myself with a couple of units; I am quite willing to pay for the schematics of the products, which are discontinued. If they won't provide them I have a technician friend who can repair them anyway, it will just take longer.