California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law making California the third U.S. state to approve right-to-repair legislation. When the law goes into effect in July 2024, electronics manufacturers will be legally required to make repair parts, tools, documentation, and software available to consumers and independent repair shops. Supporters say it’s the most expansive, consumer-friendly right-to-repair legislation passed to date.
“The era of manufacturers’ repair monopolies is ending, as well it should be,” iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens said in a statement. “Accessible, affordable, widely available repair benefits everyone.” IFixit has been a leading voice advocating for the right-to-repair legislation for years. Expansive as it is, California’s law does have several key carve-outs, namely game consoles and alarm systems.
The legislation claims gaming devices like an Xbox Series X or a PlayStation 5 are not “all-purpose” computers, despite them seeming to fulfill many of the requirements. Nathan Proctor, the head of RtR initiatives at U.S. Public Interest Research Group previously told Gizmodo video game companies specifically requested an exemption during negotiations over worries customers could jailbreak their devices. Similarly, fire protection systems or other electronics defined as an “alarm system” were not included and does not fall under the legislation’s definition of an “electronic or appliance product.”