The Governor of Oregon signed the Oregon’s Right to Repair Act (SB 1596), a law that supports users’ right to repair their own devices. A key aspect of this law is prohibiting manufacturers from blocking independent repair shops from fixing devices through part pairing. This law allows manufacturers to set conditions for independent repair shops to be certified in order to repair devices, but they are not allowed to block specific parts from being repaired. For example, iPhones that block the battery’s serial number must match Apple’s requirements for the phone to function with any battery, even if it is an Apple battery from another device. This approach has led Apple to strongly fight against this law.
Some manufacturers may successfully lobby for exceptions, such as medical devices, but others are engaging in a business battle, such as agricultural equipment, gaming consoles, and devices with internal combustion engines.
The law will officially come into effect on January 1, 2025.
Source: iFixit
TLDR: The Oregon’s Right to Repair Act supports users’ right to repair devices by prohibiting manufacturers from blocking independent repair shops through part pairing. The law will take effect on January 1, 2025.
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