Follow Slashdot stories on Twitter

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Government United States Hardware

Oregon OKs Right-To-Repair Bill That Bans the Blocking of Aftermarket Parts (arstechnica.com) 75

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Oregon has joined the small but growing list of states that have passed right-to-repair legislation. Oregon's bill stands out for a provision that would prevent companies from requiring that official parts be unlocked with encrypted software checks before they will fully function. Bill SB 1596 passed Oregon's House by a 42 to 13 margin. Gov. Tina Kotek has five days to sign the bill into law. Consumer groups and right-to-repair advocates praised the bill as "the best bill yet," while the bill's chief sponsor, state Sen. Janeen Sollman (D), pointed to potential waste reductions and an improved second-hand market for closing a digital divide.

"Oregon improves on Right to Repair laws in California, Minnesota and New York by making sure that consumers have the choice of buying new parts, used parts, or third-party parts for the gadgets and gizmos," said Gay Gordon-Byrne, executive director of Repair.org, in a statement. Like bills passed in New York, California, and Minnesota, Oregon's bill requires companies to offer the same parts, tools, and documentation to individual and independent repair shops that are already offered to authorized repair technicians. Unlike other states' bills, however, Oregon's bill doesn't demand a set number of years after device manufacture for such repair implements to be produced. That suggests companies could effectively close their repair channels entirely rather than comply with the new requirements. California's bill mandated seven years of availability.

If signed, the law's requirements for parts, tools, and documentation would apply to devices sold after 2015, except for phones, which are covered after July 2021. The prohibition against parts pairing only covers devices sold in 2025 and later. Like other repair bills, a number of device categories are exempted, including video game consoles, HVAC and medical gear, solar systems, vehicles, and, very specifically, "Electric toothbrushes."

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Oregon OKs Right-To-Repair Bill That Bans the Blocking of Aftermarket Parts

Comments Filter:
  • by Anonymous Coward

    Perhaps more domestic lawmakers should hold trillion dollar companies to account.

  • by MpVpRb ( 1423381 ) on Tuesday March 05, 2024 @05:35PM (#64292602)

    It has existed as long as people made stuff
    It has always been possible to repair things, limited only by skill and the extent of damage
    Then, scumball weasels figured out how to use tech to take away a right that has existed for millennia
    We are not demanding a new right
    We are demanding the rights we have always had

  • ...Silly Laws. They have already found a loophole that they prefer. The future of hardware is leasing. We won't own anything. We won't own our printer. We won't own our car. The Farmer won't own his tractor. We can't repair anything because we don't own it. Manufacturers won't sell anything to us. This Right to Repair movement is over before it got started. In 5-years, when your light bulb burns out, you will only be able to lease a new one.
    • And then we'll legislate bans on leases and rentals. Or any other word they smith to reference the practice. This cat-and-mouse game never ends. No-one (human nor corporation, nor government) isn't entitled to own everything. No matter how much effort they pour into to achieving that goal.
  • Without computers and devices made so they will be quickly away--then how are we supposed to fill up the landfills? Huh?
  • by iAmWaySmarterThanYou ( 10095012 ) on Tuesday March 05, 2024 @06:05PM (#64292726)

    I wonder if this means third party printer cartridges must be allowed to function without HP firmware interference...?

  • ... a new ECU for my Volkswagen TDI. I found a great aftermarket part online. And they advertise better performance, better fuel economy, and less CO2 emissions. I think I'll pick one up and install it myself.

  • by ebcdic ( 39948 ) on Tuesday March 05, 2024 @06:29PM (#64292784)

    "a number of device categories are exempted, including [...] solar systems". That seems a little ambitious anyway!

  • They can stop selling iphones in Oregon. The Feds told automakers not to comply with Massachusetts' "right to repair" law. Could this happen here?

  • Protecting the people from selfishness and greed. Protecting the planet. Well done Cowboys and Cowgirls.

  • by misnohmer ( 1636461 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2024 @04:04AM (#64293604)
    Are there any unintended consequences? For example, am I allowed to replace the chip on the credit card with my own, however crappy, design, and all payment processors must accept it? Would that open the door for credit card cloning and/or fraud, if payment processors are banned from requiring any specific secure chips? Is a nuclear power reactor plant allowed to buy replacement parts off the internet marketplaces? Are cars forced to accept any accelerator pedal, vs. one that is safety certified to not launch the car into your living room? All those examples may be hyperboles, but I can seriously see some unintended consequences. Perhaps the likes of Tesla will simply log the fact that customer is using a non-Tesla accelerator pedal or motor controller, so if it does end up killing people, they can point at the owner as the responsible party for installing non-OEM parts. Not sure who, other than the lawmakers, would be responsible for credit card fraud perpetrated by a rogue device forced to be accepted by payment processors.
    • For example, am I allowed to replace the chip on the credit card with my own, however crappy, design, and all payment processors must accept it? Would that open the door for credit card cloning and/or fraud, if payment processors are banned from requiring any specific secure chips?

      Are cats and dogs now required to live together!? /s

      Is a nuclear power reactor plant allowed to buy replacement parts off the internet marketplaces?

      If you are seriously proposing that this legislation is going to allow a fucking nuclear plant to buy replacement parts off of ebay, I highly suggest you go read the relevant legislation. Both this bill, and the existing legislation on operating a nuclear plant.

      I suspect however, that you are just fearmongering.

      All those examples may be hyperboles

      No shit.

      but I can seriously see some unintended consequences.

      The original state of things was that post sale the buyer owned the property and could do what they wished with it. The manufacturer'

Professional wrestling: ballet for the common man.

Working...