The state of Oregon has just passed a historic Right to Repair law that is actually different from the ones we have seen in the past. The law dictates that manufacturers must make parts, tools, documentation, and software available for all electronics manufactured as far back as 2015, almost nine years.
Oregon's landmark Right to Repair law could change the tech industry for the better
This Right to Repair law covers laptops, smartwatches, tablets, refrigerators, and several other devices. However, smartphones are not included in this law. For smartphones, the law applies to devices that are sold after July 2021. This is the same date that is seen on the bills that have been passed.
With that said, one of the biggest changes that we see in Oregon's Right to Repair law is that it is going to ban restrictive practices of parts pairing. If you don't know what this means, this is basically a practice where companies end up keeping consumers away from using third-party parts because they are coded via software.
The most notorious and perhaps the only company that takes part in this practice is Apple. Apple has combined its hardware and software to such a degree that third-party repairs are almost impossible. However, the new law will change that and make Oregon the first state to impose such a ban. We hope other states also add this as an amendment to their laws.
Kyle Wiens, iFixit CEO, had the following to say about this law:
“I’m beyond proud of my home state for passing the strongest yet electronics Right to Repair bill."
Wiens also went ahead and elaborated:
“By applying to most products made after 2015, this law will open up repair for the things Oregonians need to get fixed right now. And by limiting the repair-restricting practices of parts pairing it protects fixing for years to come. We won’t stop fighting until everyone, everywhere, has these rights.”
There is absolutely no way to deny that Oregon's Right to Repair law is the strongest we have seen so far. Although we have seen several great laws in the past, we have not seen a law that is this big in terms of what it is looking to achieve. I would hope that other states also follow and introduce the same changes because that is one way of bringing unlawful practices down.
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