Oregon’s state legislature recently passed a right-to-repair bill that, if signed by the governor, would remove even more barriers to home and professional repairs for customers whose electronics break by nixing companies’ ability to use an inherently exclusionary manufacturing technique.
Right-to-repair legislation pertains to a customer’s right to reasonable access when it comes to home or professional repairs. These kinds of bills typically dictate what kind of documentation a manufacturer has to provide in order to support third-party repair efforts, and they are crucial in ensuring a fair balance with shady practices like planned obsolescence.
Oregon isn’t alone in adopting such regulations; according to Tech Brew’s Kelcee Griffis, 33 states–as well as Puerto Rico–considered adopting right-to-repair bills, and citizens tend to find them favorable. “This concept isn’t controversial among constituents: As a 2019 survey found, 71% of US voters support such legislation, and only 7% said they’d be against it,” writes Griffis.
However, where Oregon’s bill differs is in its vital inclusion of a provision that prevents manufacturers from using parts pairing, which can result in malfunctions or total failure of an electronic device should aftermarket parts be installed.
Notably, California passed a similar bill back in October of 2023, but was not able to block parts pairing, raising questions about the efficacy of such a bill.
Parts pairing is ostensibly a process designed to help manufacturers keep track of device components, but it often has a deleterious effect on home repairs. If, for example, a display chip stops working correctly and must be replaced, using a chip that has not been paired with the rest of the device’s components will result in suboptimal performance, whether that’s an issue with touch sensitivity or an entire failure of the entire component.
Oregon’s bill seeks to remove this barrier, making it the strictest right-to-repair bill in the nation to date.
Large tech companies and consumers alike are positive about the bill and its principles, but Griffis points out that other industries, such as automotive, have taken issue with similar initiatives, with some filing a suit against a Massachusetts ballot measure that required vehicle manufacturers to allow repair services to access “digital information” about vehicle components.
Jack Lloyd has a BA in Creative Writing from Forest Grove's Pacific University; he spends his writing days using his degree to pursue semicolons, freelance writing and editing, oxford commas, and enough coffee to kill a bear. His infatuation with rain is matched only by his dry sense of humor.
