Fair Repair Act

Summary#

This bill, called the Fair Repair Act, would require makers of digital electronic equipment (called original equipment manufacturers or OEMs) to make documentation, parts, and tools available to equipment owners and independent repair providers on fair and reasonable terms for diagnosis, maintenance, or repair. The bill prohibits OEMs from using parts pairing or other mechanisms to block installation or functioning of otherwise functional replacement parts, to reduce part performance after replacement, to create false or non-dismissible alerts about parts, to charge extra fees for future repairs, or to limit who can buy parts or perform repairs. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) would enforce the law and could write rules. State attorneys general could bring civil actions, with notice to the FTC. The bill includes definitions, limits certain obligations to protect trade secrets, lists exceptions (for motor vehicles, medical devices, off-road vehicles, and certain safety communications equipment), and limits OEM liability for damages that result from repairs done by independent providers or owners. The bill would take effect 60 days after enactment and apply to equipment sold or in use on or after that date.

What it means for you#

• If you own electronic equipment, the bill would require manufacturers to give you access to manuals, diagnostic information, parts, and tools needed to fix your device or have it fixed by an independent repair provider.
• Independent repair shops would be able to get the same parts, documentation, and tools that authorized repair providers receive, on "fair and reasonable" terms as defined in the bill.
• Manufacturers would be barred from using software or pairing methods that prevent or limit use of replacement parts or that produce misleading part warnings.
• The bill does not apply to motor vehicle manufacturers, medical device manufacturers, many off-road vehicle manufacturers, or certain emergency safety communications equipment makers.
• The FTC would handle enforcement; state attorneys general can also sue, but must notify the FTC and are limited while the FTC has a pending action.
• Manufacturers would not be liable under this bill for damage or data loss caused by repairs performed by independent repairers or owners, and they would not be required to warranty independent repairs.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on implementation costs or specific budgetary effects is included in the bill text.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.