On 3 July, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent letters to eight companies, including three gaming hardware companies, warning them to change their warranty policies in line with a growing right-to-repair movement.
All eight companies that received the warning letters violated the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, more commonly known as the MMWA, which protects consumers’ right-to-repair products that they have purchased.
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Three of the eight companies include leading gaming PC component manufacturers ASRock, Zotac and Gigabyte. For Gigabyte and Zotac, the FTC flagged how both companies’ warranty policies declare that removing or damaging the stickers will completely void the warranty.
The three PC vendors have allegedly issued warranty policies that have prevented consumers from servicing their products. This includes but is not limited to prompting customers to pull off stickers from a PC part to void its warranty.
“These warning letters put companies on notice that restricting consumers’ right-to-repair violates the law,” said FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection director, Samuel Levine.
The FTC warning includes a 30-day deadline to make consumer policy changes public on the companies’ websites. If the companies fail to correct any potential violations, this could result in law enforcement action.
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By GlobalDataAccording to GlobalData thematic intelligence’s Circular Economy report published in May 2024, global e-waste is expected to reach almost 82 billion kilograms by 2030. Several countries are joining the right-to-repair movement, which calls on manufacturers to provide consumers with the tools to repair products, including spare parts, product manuals, and upgrade services.
The report outlines how Australia, Canada, the EU, France, the US (Oregon, Minnesota, New York, and California), the UK, and South Africa have already introduced repair and reuse laws to extend the lifespan of products, with New Zealand, India, and Nigeria preparing legislation.
