Home » Blog » USA: Oregon Governor Signs Bill Relating to Right-to-Repair of Consumer Electronic Equipment

Blog 6 min read

USA: Oregon Governor Signs Bill Relating to Right-to-Repair of Consumer Electronic Equipment

This blog was originally posted on 24th April, 2024. Further regulatory developments may have occurred after publication. To keep up-to-date with the latest compliance news, sign up to our newsletter.

AUTHORED BY KELLY BUGIERA, SENIOR REGULATORY COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST, COMPLIANCE & RISKS

Introduction

The right to repair movement is gaining traction globally, and there is an increasing push to legislate for product repair and encourage the production of consumer appliances with longer lifespans.

In this blog, we take a look at Oregon’s landmark Bill, SB 1596.

SB 1596: Oregon’s Right-to-Repair Law

On 27 March 2024, the Governor of Oregon, Tina Kotek, signed SB 1596 into Law. This Bill requires a manufacturer of consumer electronic items to provide fair terms to those who look at, maintain or fix these products so they have the proper information for maintenance and repair.

Obligations for Manufacturers

An original equipment manufacturer shall make available to an owner, or to an independent repair provider, on fair and reasonable terms, any of the necessary documentation, tools, parts or other devices or implements that the original equipment manufacturer would make available to an authorized service provider for the purpose of diagnosing, maintaining, repairing, or updating consumer electronic equipment that the original equipment manufacturer makes or sells and that is sold or used in Oregon.

For consumer electronic equipment that is manufactured for the first time, and is first sold or used in Oregon after 1 January 2025, an original equipment manufacturer may not use parts pairing that would:

Prevent or inhibit an independent repair provider, or an owner, from installing or enabling the function of an otherwise functional replacement part or a component of consumer electronic equipment, including a replacement part or a component that the original equipment manufacturer has not approved;
Reduce the functionality or performance of consumer electronic equipment; or
Cause consumer electronic equipment to display misleading alerts or warnings, which the owner cannot immediately dismiss, about unidentified parts.

Consumer Electronic Equipment Definition

“Consumer electronic equipment” is defined as a product that:

Functions, in whole or in part, on the basis of digital electronics that are embedded within, or have been attached to, the product;
Is tangible personal property;
Is most commonly used for personal, family or household purposes;
Is sold, used or supplied in Oregon one year or more after the product was first manufactured and one year or more after the product was first sold or used in Oregon; and
Might be, but would not necessarily be, capable of attachment to or installation in real property.

Stay Ahead Of Regulatory Changes Like SB 1596

Want to stay ahead of regulatory developments like Oregon’s right-to-repair Bill SB 1596?

Accelerate your ability to achieve, maintain & expand market access for all products in global markets with C2P – Your key to unlocking market access, trusted by more than 300 of the world’s leading brands.
C2P is an enterprise SaaS platform providing everything you need in one place to achieve your business objectives by proving compliance in over 195 countries.

C2P is purpose-built to be tailored to your specific needs with comprehensive capabilities that enable enterprise-wide management of regulations, standards, requirements and evidence.
Add-on packages help accelerate market access through use-case-specific solutions, global regulatory content, a global team of subject matter experts and professional services.

Accelerate time-to-market for products
Reduce non-compliance risks that impact your ability to meet business goals and cause reputational damage
Enable business continuity by digitizing your compliance process and building corporate memory
Improve efficiency and enable your team to focus on business critical initiatives rather than manual tasks
Save time with access to Compliance & Risks’ extensive Knowledge Partner network