Governor Tina Kotek signed a landmark right to repair bill (SB 1596) into law following the legislature’s short session this year. The new law, which goes into effect January 1, 2025, is designed to make it easier and less expensive for consumers to fix their broken devices, while reducing the tons of electronic waste that wind up in landfills.
Under the new law, which is similar to California’s right to repair law, manufacturers of consumer electronics and household appliances must provide the repair tools and information required to diagnose, maintain and fix their products and will extend the right to repair phones, tablets and other digital devices. Consumers will be able to take their broken devices to the independent repair shop they choose, or fix it themselves, instead of being locked into the manufacturer’s repair service.
The law is also the first in the nation to prevent “parts pairing,” which refers to a manufacturer’s practice of using software to identify component parts through a unique identifier. Manufacturers can use parts pairing to prevent access to repair or confuse the consumer about a third-party repair’s efficacy. As consumers increasingly purchase products with a software component and those products are connected to the internet, the lack of clarity around repair rules can mean these devices exist in a gray area where, even after a consumer purchases a product, the manufacturer retains control and ownership of it.
Justin Brookman, director of tech policy at Consumer Reports, said, “Consumer Reports actively supports laws to protect a consumer’s right to repair their own products. It reduces waste, saves consumers money, and offers you more choices when it comes to maintaining your expensive gadgets and appliances.” Brookman went on to say, “We’ve seen California, New York and Minnesota pass right to repair laws in the last two years, and Oregon’s law now means that nearly 70 million Americans have the right to repair the devices they own. The law also raises the bar for future right to repair legislation by preventing software from becoming a tool to enforce manufacturers’ monopolies on the repair process.”