Oregon Just Passed a Monumental ‘Right to Repair’ Law
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek officially signed a new "Right to Repair" law on Wednesday that will make it much easier to repair our stuff—at least in the state of Oregon.
Much of the law follows in the footsteps of Right to Repair legislation passed by New York, Minnesota, and California: Tech companies that sell their products in Oregon will need to allow customers and third-party repair stores to buy things like parts, tools, and schematics for most electronic devices. The law retroactively applies to these devices, as well: It applies to smartphones released on July 1, 2021 and newer, and most other electronic devices sold on or after July 1, 2015. That means, if you live in Oregon, Apple will need to let you buy parts for that MacBook you bought almost nine years ago.
While these impacts alone would be a welcome change, what sets this Oregon law apart from the other three states is that is bans "parts pairing," a term that describes when companies prevent unauthorized parts from functioning in their devices. Parts pairing can also brick features of your device when these unauthorized parts are installed. We saw this with Apple with the iPhone 13: If you replaced the display with an unauthorized screen, iOS would shut off Face ID. (Apple later reversed course.)
But rather than rely on public backlash to bully companies into doing the right thing, Oregon's new law will ensure no company selling electronics in the state will be able to take away functionality because a user installs a part they don't approve of. Unlike the other side of the law, however, parts pairing legislation is not retroactive: It will only apply to devices made after Jan. 1, 2025. So while your existing electronics like phones and laptops can continue employ parts pairing policies, anything you buy in Oregon in 2025 will be banned from doing so.
What does this mean for repairability?
If you live in Oregon, your ability to repair your own products is improving dramatically—especially with devices you buy next year. But what's so great about this law is that it doesn't just apply to the devices we think of when we talk about repairability: It also applies to most electronic devices you own. If your smartwatch breaks, or you can't seem to clean with your vacuum anymore, those manufacturers need to offer you the option to purchase tools that can fix your devices, rather than force you to buy new ones.
The major exceptions here are medical devices, farm equipment, devices that run on an internal combustion engine (your gas-powered car isn't covered, unfortunately), or video game consoles. So while Microsoft might not need to worry about helping you repair your Xbox, it will need to offer parts and documentation for your Surface.
Right to Repair is really all about two things: The first is empowering consumers to continue using the devices they paid for. Companies have gotten us too used to abandoning cheap products once they fall apart. If the law makes them offer ways to repair these products, not only will we be able to fix our devices more easily, but we should see companies start to make more durable products as well—at least, that's the hope.
The second part of the movement, however, tries to put the power in the hands of the consumer when it comes time to repair those devices. Sure, fixing your tech is great, but if it costs an arm and a leg because you're forced to do it the way the manufacturer wants you to, it's hardly better than buying something new. Allowing customers and third-party repair shops access to parts and documentation levels the playing field, and makes repairs more affordable for everyone.
As states pass these laws, we're seeing improvements for everyone: Apple has a self repair program that allows anyone to buy genuine Apple parts and follow instructions for fixing their own products, as does Samsung. They're far from perfect though: Apple's program in particular is expensive. Hopefully, the more Right to Repair laws that pass, the more accessible these self repairs become.