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The Right to Repair Is Law in Washington State

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Re: The Right to Repair Is Law in Washington State

#11

Post by EndsOfnversion »

dghlsakjg wrote: post #6
sleepybrett wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This law does not apply to tractors or game consoles. It's neutered as all fuck. From the article: Of course, these wins come with carve-outs. HB 1483 exempts: Video game consoles Medical devices Motor vehicles Agricultural and construction equipment Security systems and alarm equipment Internet and TV equipment from ISPs Off-road recreational vehicles Large-scale energy storage and solar gear Low earth orbit broadba…

By 2026 my dishwasher is going to have a forced update to run Doom in an effort to be classified as a video game console, isn’t it?

I think you’ll find “Hurt me plenty” is sufficient for all but the toughest baked on food stains.

Re: The Right to Repair Is Law in Washington State

#12

Post by 1970-01-01 »

dghlsakjg wrote: post #6
sleepybrett wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This law does not apply to tractors or game consoles. It's neutered as all fuck. From the article: Of course, these wins come with carve-outs. HB 1483 exempts: Video game consoles Medical devices Motor vehicles Agricultural and construction equipment Security systems and alarm equipment Internet and TV equipment from ISPs Off-road recreational vehicles Large-scale energy storage and solar gear Low earth orbit broadba…

By 2026 my dishwasher is going to have a forced update to run Doom in an effort to be classified as a video game console, isn’t it?

If Samsung gets Doom to do LAN multiplayer with the coffee machine and the refrigerator, then they all deserve the title of video game console.

Re: The Right to Repair Is Law in Washington State

#13

Post by octoberfranklin »

0xbadcafebee wrote: post #5

> a soldier struggling with a broken generator Are there generators you can't fix right now? I assumed most of them are pretty basic designs, an ICE with either an inverter or non-inverter generator. You can look up how to tear them down and repair them step by step on YouTube (including commercial units)

Large generators are fuel-injected, which requires a microcontroller with software.

In the 1990s that software was write-once, non-upgradeable, and bug-free because it was trivial. But it hasn't been that way for a long time. "Fuel injection requires software" turned into an exploit vector for feature creep.

Re: The Right to Repair Is Law in Washington State

#14

Post by CobrastanJorji »

sleepybrett wrote: post #4
froggertoaster wrote: post #2

Companies like John Deere have way overplayed their hand, and I'm glad to see the regulatory winds are changing.

This law does not apply to tractors or game consoles. It's neutered as all fuck. From the article: Of course, these wins come with carve-outs. HB 1483 exempts: Video game consoles Medical devices Motor vehicles Agricultural and construction equipment Security systems and alarm equipment Internet and TV equipment from ISPs Off-road recreational vehicles Large-scale energy storage and solar gear Low earth orbit broadba…

...but those are most of the things I want to repair. Did the check from HP not clear?

Re: The Right to Repair Is Law in Washington State

#15

Post by jasonthorsness »

walterbell wrote: post #3

https://www.ifixit.com/News/110039/double-trouble-for-repair... Come January 1, 2026, manufacturers must also stop using parts pairing to block repairs for these devices. That means no more pop-ups that say “unknown part” when you swap in a working screen. No more downgrading your camera or fingerprint sensor just because you repaired your own phone. SB 5680 goes even further for wheelchair users. It covers power whe…

Here is the bill for consumer electronics: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=1483&Year=202...

Text as passed (for pasting into LLM :)): https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/Ho...

I wondered what it would mean for small manufacturers and they are not exempt however o3 believes "in practice, your duty is limited to providing whatever service manuals, firmware-pairing utilities, and spare parts you already possess (or have made for warranty work) and making them available at cost, digitally for free."

EDIT: as people below have posted, o3's "at cost" is misleading, the text actually says "at costs that are fair to both parties"

Re: The Right to Repair Is Law in Washington State

#17

Post by technothrasher »

octoberfranklin wrote: post #13
0xbadcafebee wrote: post #5

> a soldier struggling with a broken generator Are there generators you can't fix right now? I assumed most of them are pretty basic designs, an ICE with either an inverter or non-inverter generator. You can look up how to tear them down and repair them step by step on YouTube (including commercial units)

Large generators are fuel-injected, which requires a microcontroller with software. In the 1990s that software was write-once, non-upgradeable, and bug-free because it was trivial. But it hasn't been that way for a long time. "Fuel injection requires software" turned into an exploit vector for feature creep.

To be needlessly pedantic, fuel injection does require a micro. I only say this because I deal with classic Bosch K-Jet systems often.

Re: The Right to Repair Is Law in Washington State

#18

Post by sokoloff »

jasonthorsness wrote: post #15
walterbell wrote: post #3

https://www.ifixit.com/News/110039/double-trouble-for-repair... Come January 1, 2026, manufacturers must also stop using parts pairing to block repairs for these devices. That means no more pop-ups that say “unknown part” when you swap in a working screen. No more downgrading your camera or fingerprint sensor just because you repaired your own phone. SB 5680 goes even further for wheelchair users. It covers power whe…

Here is the bill for consumer electronics: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=1483&Year=202... Text as passed (for pasting into LLM :)): https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/Ho... I wondered what it would mean for small manufacturers and they are not exempt however o3 believes "in practice, your duty is limited to providing whatever service manuals, firmware-pairing utilities, and spa…

Why would anyone believe that spare parts would need to be provided at cost? I’m a proponent of right to repair, but that would be an absurd over-step (and be a strong force to ensure that no spare parts are available to anyone).

Re: The Right to Repair Is Law in Washington State

#20

Post by Reubachi »

sleepybrett wrote: post #4
froggertoaster wrote: post #2

Companies like John Deere have way overplayed their hand, and I'm glad to see the regulatory winds are changing.

This law does not apply to tractors or game consoles. It's neutered as all fuck. From the article: Of course, these wins come with carve-outs. HB 1483 exempts: Video game consoles Medical devices Motor vehicles Agricultural and construction equipment Security systems and alarm equipment Internet and TV equipment from ISPs Off-road recreational vehicles Large-scale energy storage and solar gear Low earth orbit broadba…

hilariously, this states right to repair law does not include road going or ag vehicles. Ya know, the impotus for this now hijacked initiative.

"tell me the state of washington protects failing US auto manufacturers and shade tree mechanics without saying it".

But hey, at least now I can rest assured knowing that korean smartphones are now going to be a little cheaper to repair in wshington.

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