The New York State senate has voted to pass repair legislation that could force Apple and other companies to make it easier for customers and repair shops to repair their devices.
The New York Senate passes new legislation in favor of the right to repair
On Thursday, the New York State Senate voted 51 votes in favor and 12 votes against to pass the Fair Repair Digital Products Act. Becoming the first legislative body in the United States to pass a bill on the right to repair. The bill requires original equipment manufacturers to provide all necessary proprietary information and resources. Such as screens and other parts, for sale to third party repair providers and consumers. With this legislation, we could fix our iPhone with original parts without having to resort to Apple or the second-hand market.
To become law in New York, the bill still needs to be approved by the state assembly. From there, it will need to be signed by the Governor of the State of New York. Currently, the New York State Assembly version of the bill is stagnant, but lobbyists are working to get it passed.
“Nothing prevents third-party repairers from being technically competent to complete digital repairs, other than the lack of information withheld by manufacturers,” the bill says.
Although it would force companies to share detailed information about the devices, the bill specifically does not include “trade secrets.”
Apple opposes the right-to-repair legislation, citing concerns about consumer safety and device safety. The Cupertino tech giant has spent millions lobbying against similar bills across the country.
Internal communications revealed during a US event The House investigation showed there is no consensus on the right to repair among Apple employees. Publicly, Apple has been expanding its Independent Repair Provider program, offering resources to approved third-party stores.