Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has now signed one among America’s strongest Right to Repair bills into law after the state Legislature passed it a number of weeks ago by a virtually 3-to-1 majority. Oregon’s SB 1596 bill goes into effect next yr, and like similar laws introduced in Minnesota and California require device manufacturers to permit consumers and independent electronics firms to buy the essential parts and equipment required to perform their very own device repairs.
However, Oregon’s law is the primary to ban “part pairing,” a practice utilized by manufacturers to stop alternative components from functioning unless the corporate’s software approves them. These protections also prevent manufacturers from pairing parts to scale back device functionality or performance or displaying misleading warning messages about unofficial components installed within the device. Current devices are exempt from the ban, which only applies to gadgets manufactured after January 1, 2025.
“We need to shorten the crazy replacement cycle of personal electronics – and that starts with enabling repairs,” Nathan Proctor, senior director of the Right to Repair Campaign on the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), said in an announcement. “Oregon’s leading Right to Repair law will keep your appliances working and out of the scrap heap.”
Like Minnesota and California’s laws, Oregon’s other right-to-repair policies only apply to phones sold after July 1, 2021, or other consumer electronics equipment sold after July 1, 2015. Certain products – e.g. medical equipment, agricultural equipment, HVAC equipment, video game consoles and energy storage systems – are completely exempt from Oregon regulations.
According to iFixit, “The Exemption List is a map of the strongest anti-repair lobbies, as well as the movement’s next frontier.” However, iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens also said in an announcement: “By applying this law to most products manufactured after 2015, this law will make it possible to repair things that Oregonians need to repair now. By limiting parts joining practices that limit repairs, it protects the mount for many years. We will not stop fighting until everyone, everywhere has these rights.”
Another similarity between Oregon and California’s right-to-repair laws is that each require manufacturers to make available to consumers and repairers all documentation, tools, parts and software required to repair their devices without excessive fees. While California law requires this support to be available for seven years after the manufacture of devices valued at greater than $100, Oregon has no such period.
Credit : www.theverge.com
