The Oregon House passed a repair bill this week by a vote of nearly 3 to 1, by a vote of 42 to 13. If the law were signed, the northwestern state would not be the first in the Union to pass a repair law (more like the fourth), but the legislation contains aggressive language that goes beyond those contained in the books. As a result, manufacturers are divided.
Google already supported the bill with a full throat in January. An executive of the software giant called Oregon “a convincing model that other states should follow” in an open letter.
Apple, which had previously written an open letter in support of the California legislation, was less enthusiastic. There is a strong contrast, especially the similarities between the bills. In fact, Oregon based much of its legislation on the legislation of its neighbor to the south. The company insists that — as with the California law – it is mainly in favor of the Oregon approach.
“Apple agrees with the vast majority of Senate Bill 1596,” John Perry, Apple’s senior manager of secure system design, told state lawmakers last month. “I have met with Senator [Janeen] Sollman several times and appreciate her willingness to have an open dialogue. Senate Bill 1596 is a step forward in ensuring that the people of Oregon, myself included, can have their appliances repaired easily and inexpensively.”
Apple’s big sticking point in the bill is the so-called “parts pairing”.” Practice requires the use of proprietary components in order for the repaired device to work as intended. Perry cited biometrics as a special cause for concern, noting:
According to the current wording of the part pairing of SB 1596, Apple could be obliged to allow third-party biometric sensors to operate in our devices without any authentication, which could lead to unauthorized access to a person’s personal data. This would be an incredible disservice to consumers, not only in Oregon, but worldwide, as we are not in a position to restrict such provisions regionally.
However, the practice has long been a cause for concern among proponents of repair. PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) has asked the FTC to ban what it calls “one of the most harmful obstacles to the right to repair”.”
Charlie Fisher, director of OPIRG, adds: “I am proud that we are driving an innovation that is even more important than a new device: the right to repair our electronic devices. By lifting the manufacturer restrictions, the right to repair makes it easier for Oregonians to keep their personal electronics running. This saves valuable natural resources and avoids waste. It is a refreshing alternative to a disposable system that treats everything as a disposable product.”
In an interview with TechCrunch last month, Senator Sollman expressed his frustration with attempts to communicate with Apple during the billing process.
“People came to me with possible changes, and I felt like I was playing the operator’s game, like I was the one who had to push the changes, and not Apple itself,” she told TechCrunch. “This is very frustrating. We have considered many of the changes that Apple has put forward, which are included in the California bill. There were two remaining points that concerned her. We addressed one of them, because this gave the bill a certain ambiguity. And so I think the one part of that. . . they will stand on the hill where the parts mate.”
The bill has received bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. It is currently on its way to the governor’s desk, where it can be signed by law.
