Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/04/01/oregon-governor-signs-right-to-repair-law.html
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Thank you Oregon. Hopefully you can start a trend
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I wonder how John Deere is going to deal with this? There’s a lot of green and yellow in this state.
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Now do printer cartridge DRM!
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However they did it; apparently the answer is “decisively”. The below section is from the list of things that the bill does not apply to:
A manufacturer, distributor or dealer of any off-road equipment or of tools, technology, attachments, accessories, components or repair parts for off-road equipment including, but not limited to, farm and utility tractors, farm implements and machinery, equipment
for forestry, industry, utilities, construction, mining or maintaining a yard, garden or turf,
outdoor power equipment and portable generators, vehicles used in marine environments, for
sports, recreation and racing, all-terrain vehicles, power tools and stand-alone or integrated
mobile or stationary internal combustion engines or power sources such as generator sets
and battery or fuel cell power
It would appear that auto manufacturers maintaining dealer franchise arrangements, medical devices, HVAC gear, solar generators, video game consoles, grid-attached energy storage systems, internal combustion engines, vehicles powered by them, things that aren’t vehicles powered by them, an engine of any type and ancillary systems powering boats(maritime or waterway); basically anything tractors; and electric toothbrushes are exempt. Because reasons.
(edit: I went looking for reasons and read through the “Testimony” section to see what people on-record as against the bill in whole or in part had to say. Interestingly; there’s nothing from Deere and friends. The Consumer Technology Association writes in in a great tizzy about how terrible it is that the glorious innovation of parts pairing is not being properly honored. The “Repair Done Right Coalition” smells of finest astroturf and talks up the quality and security of OEM repair vs. the likely depredations against Oregon’s citizens of the 3rd party cowboys.
Perhaps most concerningly; both the Automatic Fire Alarm Association, the Alarm Industry Communications Committee, Secure Pacific Corporation, Sonitrol Pacific, the Security Industry Association, and the Electronic Security Association all chime in to report that the security sins of locksmiths are alive and well in the digital age and we’ll all get exploited by sinister malefactors and burn in our beds if they aren’t allowed to keep things proprietary(is it a bad sign that the AICC specifically points to “There are some security features set by the manufacturer, not the owner, such as universal override codes that would need to be made available on demand. These codes could be used at an equipment owner’s home, or in any other home or business that uses the same equipment, thereby endangering numerous Oregon consumers without their knowledge.” in a letter arguing for the right to continue doing what they do the way they do it?)
Regardless; team motor vehicles has nothing. Not even the most banal expression of concern about patchworks of regulation from the widest possible trade group. Clearly there are methods other than public testimony to make oneself heard.)
(text of the bill, what it does not cover starts on page 3)
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Wow. Thanks for doing all that research! That’s quite enlightening.
And I guess that’s how JD will deal with it: they won’t have to.
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