Electronics Right to Repair Law Passed
New York passes legislation requiring manufacturers to provide repair info and tools to third parties.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Under a law passed Friday, electronics makers selling products in New York state will be forced to provide repair information, parts, tools, software and components to consumers and independent repair providers.
The right to repair law, called the Digital Fair Repair Act, will mean customers no longer have to take their damaged or broken electronic products back to the original makers to get an authorized repair, and can instead fix things like phones or laptops themselves, or take them to lower-cost independent repair shops.
The legislation, which still has to be signed into law by the governor, doesn't apply to motor vehicles, medical devices or off-road equipment like farm machinery and tractors.
The passage of the New York law comes as California considers similar legislation, introduced to the state Senate in February. In Massachusetts, voters passed a right to repair law back in November 2020 for third party access to vehicle data.