Requiring manufacturers of digital electronic equipment to make available to owners and independent repair providers, on fair and reasonable terms, documentation, parts and tools used to diagnose, maintain and repair digital electronic equipment; and imposing a penalty.
HB1512 would enact Pennsylvania’s “Right-to-Repair Act” for digital electronic equipment. It requires original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to make available, on fair and reasonable terms, the documentation, parts, and tools needed to diagnose, maintain, and repair covered equipment for owners and independent repair providers. The bill defines key terms such as OEM, independent repair provider, documentation, tools, parts, and fair and reasonable terms, and it also bars OEMs from using parts pairing to block installation or functionality of otherwise working replacement parts, reduce device performance, or generate misleading warnings about unapproved parts.
The bill includes several limits and exclusions. It does not require disclosure of source code, does not override trade secret protections except as necessary to provide repair materials, and does not disturb existing authorized repair agreements except to void waivers that try to avoid the act’s requirements. It also excludes motor vehicles, medical devices and medical-setting equipment, a wide range of off-road and industrial equipment, emergency communications and security/life-safety systems, and video game consoles. The act would take effect 180 days after enactment and would be enforced through civil penalties of $1,000 to $10,000 per violation, recoverable by the Attorney General.
HB1512 would add a new state-level repair-access mandate to Pennsylvania law, creating enforceable obligations for OEMs that sell or supply covered digital electronic equipment in the Commonwealth. It would expand access for consumers and independent repair businesses to manuals, diagnostic information, replacement parts, and repair tools, while limiting anti-repair software practices such as parts pairing on covered products first sold or used in Pennsylvania after July 1, 2021. The bill would also establish a civil penalty regime and authorize the Attorney General to pursue violations, giving the state a direct enforcement role.
The voting history suggests the bill had meaningful support but also substantial opposition. It advanced through committee and the House with narrow-to-moderate margins, including 15-11 in House Commerce, 18-15 in House Rules, 23-14 in House Appropriations, and 110-93 on final House passage. That pattern indicates the proposal was broadly viable but remained controversial, with supporters likely emphasizing consumer repair rights, lower repair costs, and competition, while opponents likely raised concerns about manufacturer obligations, intellectual property, safety, and existing repair networks.
The main points of contention are the scope of the repair mandate and the bill’s exclusions. Supporters appear to favor broad access to repair information and parts for consumers and independent repair shops, while critics may object to restrictions on OEM control over parts pairing, the potential disclosure of proprietary information, and the compliance burden on manufacturers. Another area of dispute is the bill’s carve-outs: it excludes motor vehicles, medical devices, many industrial and safety-related products, and video game consoles, which may reflect compromise but also limits the bill’s reach. The treatment of trade secrets, warranties, and authorized repair agreements is also likely to be debated, especially where the bill overrides contract terms that waive compliance with the act.