France has passed a law requiring ‘repair labels’ on all electronic devices. The labels will describe how easy the devices are to repair, and for how long spare parts will be available. Next year, the law will require manufacturers to offer free repairs or replacements for two years after purchase.
Kyle Wiens, founder of iFixit, said, “I think that this sort of trend is actually a good thing for manufacturers, because it will allow them to compete on quality again. I expect it will probably cause a bit of a price increase in product prices, but I think that will be far more than offset by quality increases”.
Analyst Comment
We understand that this law was actually passed in March 2014, followed by a decree going into effect this March – we missed it at the time. We have, however, contacted one of the legislators who worked on the bill for more information. (TA)
