Oregon
Governor
Tina
Kotek
has
now
signed
one
of
the
strongest
US
right-to-repair
bills
into
law
after
it
passed
the
state
legislature
several
weeks
ago
by
an
almost
3-to-1
margin.
Oregon’s
SB
1596
will
take
effect
next
year,
and,
like
similar
laws
introduced
in
Minnesota
and
California,
it
requires
device
manufacturers
to
allow
consumers
and
independent
electronics
businesses
to
purchase
the
necessary
parts
and
equipment
required
to
make
their
own
device
repairs.
Oregon’s
rules,
however,
are
the
first
to
ban
“parts
pairing”
—
a
practice
manufacturers
use
to
prevent
replacement
components
from
working
unless
the
company’s
software
approves
them.
These
protections
also
prevent
manufacturers
from
using
parts
pairing
to
reduce
device
functionality
or
performance
or
display
any
misleading
warning
messages
about
unofficial
components
installed
within
a
device.
Current
devices
are
excluded
from
the
ban,
which
only
applies
to
gadgets
manufactured
after
January
1st,
2025.
“We
need
to
cut
down
the
insane
cycle
of
churning
through
personal
electronics
—
and
that
starts
by
empowering
repair,”
Nathan
Proctor,
the
Public
Interest
Research
Group’s
(PIRG)
right
to
repair
campaign
senior
director,
says
in
a
statement.
“Oregon’s
nation-leading
Right
to
Repair
law
will
keep
devices
working
and
off
the
scrap
heap.”
Much
like
Minnesota’s
and
California’s
laws,
Oregon’s
other
right-to-repair
rules
only
apply
to
phones
sold
after
July
1st,
2021,
or
to
other
consumer
electronics
equipment
sold
after
July
1st,
2015.
Some
products
—
like
devices
powered
by
combustion
engines,
medical
equipment,
farming
equipment,
HVAC
equipment,
video
game
consoles,
and
energy
storage
systems
—
are
excluded
from
Oregon’s
rules
entirely.
According
to
iFixit,
“The
exemption
list
is
a
map
of
the
strongest
anti-repair
lobbies,
and
also
of
the
next
frontier
of
the
movement.”
However,
iFixit
CEO
Kyle
Wiens
also
said
in
the
statement,
“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.”
Another
similarity
between
Oregon’s
and
California’s
right-to-repair
laws
is
that
both
push
manufacturers
to
make
any
documentation,
tools,
parts,
and
software
required
to
fix
their
devices
available
to
consumers
and
repair
shops
without
overcharging
for
them.
But
while
California’s
law
requires
this
support
to
be
available
for
seven
years
after
production
for
devices
over
$100,
Oregon
hasn’t
mandated
any
such
duration.
Original author: Jess Weatherbed
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