Today, SB 1596, also known as the “Right-to-Repair Act,” passed the Oregon legislature and is headed to Governor Tina Kotek’s desk to sign or veto within the next five days.
The right-to-repair movement is gaining momentum in the U.S., where states like California and Minnesota have already passed laws that require companies to provide parts, documentation, and everything else to regular users in the same way they do to authorized service centers.
But Oregon has one difference that could determine the direction of all industries for decades. I’m talking about the ban on so-called “parts pairing,” where you have to confirm ownership of a component before it can work
What is this bill about?
Unlike the California law, which requires companies to maintain the availability of these materials for seven years, the Oregon bill does not establish a specific period during which parts and documentation must be maintained. So a company can stop supplying them whenever it decides the product’s life cycle has ended.
The Oregon bill creates exemptions for certain categories of devices, including game consoles, medical equipment, heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) systems, energy storage devices, various motors, and even electric toothbrushes. This is because repairing such appliances “at home” could harm users. It also establishes that the new repair provisions do not apply to phones sold before July 1, 2021, but do cover other devices manufactured since July 1, 2015. A necessary new provision is that the ban on joining parts only goes into effect for consumer electronics manufactured after January 1, 2025, giving manufacturers time to adapt to the new requirements.
After fierce debate, the bill was approved by the state Senate on Feb. 20 by a vote of 25 to 5, and then by the state House of Representatives by 42 to 13.
