New York "Right to Repair" Law Takes Effect Next Year

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed into law one of the country's most comprehensive "right to repair" laws. The Digital Fair Repair Act sat on the governor's desk for quite some time, and was watered down at the last minute, but still requires that makers of "digital electronic equipment" — including phones — provide parts, tools, and documents to owners and repair providers to facilitate repairs. The bill was amended at the last minute to allow manufacturers to provide "assemblies of parts rather than individual components when the risk of improper installation heightens the risk of injury." The bill was also amended to remove the requirement that manufacturers provide ways to override security features to carry out repairs. Critics say this change creates a loophole that manufacturers could exploit to deny consumers many types of repairs. The bill only applies to products that are offered directly to consumers, not products that are exclusively sold B2B. The bill also applies only to products that launch after the bill's effective date of July 1, 2023.
http://dlvr.it/Sg7b6Q