The law could cause sales of cell phones and other electronics to decline.

Congresses in New York, Minnesota, California, Oregon and Colorado have passed laws requiring consumer technology companies to publish repair manuals and provide materials needed to repair electronic devices such as cell phones, tablets and computers.

The legislation, known as “right to repair” laws, aims to end the “buy a new one when the one you’re using breaks” culture – a fairly common practice in the consumer technology industry, whereby repairing a broken mobile phone screen can cost as much as buying a new device. It also aims to reduce e-waste created when non-functional products are thrown away because they break.

Proponents of these laws, who have been negotiating for years at local congresses, according to the portal Fall asleephad to fight lobbying from big tech companies (the lobby includes companies like Apple, Google, Samsung and HP, among others), who have traditionally opposed making repair processes easier, citing arguments such as difficulties in chain production or compatibility issues. However, the reality is that the lifespan of the device to be repaired increases, and therefore this can affect sales. Moreover, making repairs more difficult leads to the same company monopolizing the process.

What do the laws say about the right to repair?

Because these are local laws agreed upon by state legislatures, each of the “right to repair” laws has more or less different criteria, although they all have the same criteria. spiritto make it easier for users to repair their devices.

For example, in New York’s case, the law states that companies must ensure that parts, manuals, and tools are available to repair various electronic products, such as cell phones or laptops, sold in the state beginning July 1, 2023.

In turn, legislation approved in Minnesota and California requires that access to repair materials for devices sold after July 1, 2021, be guaranteed.

Meanwhile, laws passed in Oregon and Colorado will go into effect in January 2025 and 2026, respectively.

In a note published GizmodoGay Gordon-Byrne, chief executive of the Repair Association, says it is too early to tell how well companies are complying with the laws, as the “right to repair” guarantee covers everything from the availability of spare parts to the publication of manuals with accurate instructions. “We expect there to be lots of holes, we just don’t know where those holes will be at the moment,” said Gizmodo.

To federal or international legislation

As the Repair Association notes, there are many reasons to be skeptical about the scope of these laws. However, it seems that the key is to push for federal legislation, or failing that, international bloc legislation. Perhaps the most relevant precedent is the European Parliament, which has forced Apple to implement USB-C in all its devices.

In fact, this is the path taken by the European Parliament, which approved measures to advance the right to repair in April last year. The European Right to Repair Act, which gives EU member states up to 24 months to implement it into their local laws, states that consumers will be able to borrow a device when theirs is under warranty repair, and even choose a refurbished model when repair is not possible.