New York is now the first state in the United States to pass a right to repair law specific to electronics. This week, the legislation overwhelmingly passed the New York State Senate with 59 to 4 and the Assembly with 145 to 1. “The bill is the broadest consumer rights legislation passed in the United States. recent memory, “according to Vice.
The new law called the Digital Fair Repair Act applies to all consumer electronics companies and will require such companies to sell repair parts, tools and provide repair documentation on “fair and reasonable terms”.
Some companies like Apple have already started supplying replacement parts and tools directly to consumers who want to have their own repairs done. This, however, turned out to be more of a patch solution and not a true representation of what it means for consumers to have the right to repair, such as being able to have their own repairs done or at their chosen repair shop without invalidating a warranty.
The legislation was modeled on a similar law applied to Massachusetts in 2012. Once enacted, the manufacturers signed a “memorandum of understanding” which essentially meant that the legislation led to national policy changes as manufacturers would have preferred to have a single uniform policy in the United States. If parts and guides are available in New York, they will inevitably make their way out of New York.
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