The New York General Assembly passed on June 3, 2022 A7006-B after the New York Senate passed the identical Senate version of the bill, S4104A, on June 1, 2022. The bill, titled the Digital Fair Repair Act, has now been sent to Governor Kathy Hochul, and if signed, will take effect one year after her signature and become the first right-to-repair law enacted in the U.S. that broadly applies to consumer electronics. It will require electronics manufacturers to make a range of parts and tools available to independent repair providers and consumers who wish to repair products on their own.
The Act requires original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to make any documentation, parts, and tools available to independent repair providers and owners of digital electronic equipment on “fair and reasonable terms.” This includes equipment that “contains an electronic security lock or other security-related function” that would otherwise prevent repair, diagnosis, and maintenance by an independent service provider or product owner.