Oregon's 'strongest” right-to-repair law is about to be introduced, prohibiting manufacturers from restricting users' selection of non-original parts

According to news on March 5, Oregon’s “landmark” right-to-repair law is about to be introduced. On the 4th local time, the bill (SB 1596) was passed by the state Assembly and will be submitted to the governor for signature or veto within the next five days. This law will be the first law in the United States to prohibit "parts matching".

The bill requires original equipment manufacturers not to restrict users’ right to choose third-party repair services or use non-original parts for repair through “parts matching”, nor to reduce equipment performance through this means, nor to display misleading information. .

SB 1596: OEMs may not use part pairing to: (A) Prevent or inhibit an independent repairer/device owner from installing or enabling the functionality of a replacement part, consumer electronic device component , including replacement parts or components that have not been approved by the original equipment manufacturer; (B) reduce the functionality or performance of the consumer electronic device; (C) cause the consumer electronic device to display unnecessary or Misleading alerts or warnings, especially if the alert or warning cannot be dismissed.

In addition, similar to California’s right-to-repair law, Oregon’s bill also requires businesses to provide all users with the same parts, tools and repair documentation as authorized repair shops, and cannot charge more. It’s important to note that the “part matching” ban currently does not apply to any existing devices, only consumer electronics manufactured after January 1, 2025.

Picture source Pixabay

According to previous reports, Apple expressed "firm opposition" to this regulation in Oregon last month. Apple's testimony shows the company doesn't want to give up full control over repairs, according to a video of the hearing posted by cybersecurity expert Tarah Wheeler. John Perry, senior manager of Apple's security design team, said Apple uses part pairing to "make repairs easier" while ensuring that devices and their data "remain secure." Apple is already using this tactic to circumvent customers from replacing "non-Apple-verified" parts, such as batteries. In addition, once Apple detects the use of "non-genuine" screens in user devices, they will restrict functions such as Face ID.

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