103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB3593

 

Introduced 2/17/2023, by Rep. Michelle Mussman

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act
815 ILCS 505/2BBBB new

    Creates the Digital Electronic Equipment Right to Repair Act. Provides that, for digital electronic equipment and parts for digital electronic equipment sold or used in the State, an original equipment manufacturer shall make available to an independent repair provider, solely for the purpose of repairing digital electronic equipment, on fair and reasonable terms, any documentation, parts, service access methods, and tools, including, but not limited to, any updates to information, firmware, or embedded software that is needed for purposes of repair of digital electronic equipment and training courses and materials on the operation, inspection, diagnosis, maintenance, and repair of digital electronic equipment. Provides that a violation of any of the provisions of the Act is an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Provides for penalties. Provides that nothing in the Act shall require an original equipment manufacturer to divulge a trade secret to an independent repair provider. Amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act making a conforming change. Effective January 1, 2024.


LRB103 28492 SPS 54873 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB3593LRB103 28492 SPS 54873 b

1    AN ACT concerning business.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Digital Electronic Equipment Right to Repair Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
7    "Authorized repair provider" means an individual or
8business who has an arrangement with the original equipment
9manufacturer under which the original equipment manufacturer
10grants to the individual or business a license to use a trade
11name, service mark, or other proprietary identifier for the
12purposes of offering the services of diagnosis, maintenance,
13or repair of digital electronic equipment under the name of
14the original equipment manufacturer, or other arrangement with
15the original equipment manufacturer to offer such services on
16behalf of the original equipment manufacturer. An original
17equipment manufacturer who offers the services of diagnosis,
18maintenance, or repair of its own digital electronic
19equipment, and who does not have an arrangement with an
20unaffiliated individual or business, shall be considered an
21authorized repair provider with respect to digital electronic
22equipment.
23    "Digital electronic equipment" or "equipment" means any

 

 

HB3593- 2 -LRB103 28492 SPS 54873 b

1product that depends for its functioning, in whole or in part,
2on digital electronics embedded in or attached to the product.
3    "Documentation" means any manual, diagram, reporting
4output, service code description, schematic diagram, security
5codes, passwords, or other guidance or information used in
6effecting the services of diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of
7digital electronic equipment.
8    "Fair and reasonable terms" means making available parts,
9tools, or documentation as follows:
10        (1) that documentation is made available by the
11    original equipment manufacturer at no charge, except that,
12    when the documentation is requested in physical printed
13    form, a charge may be included for the reasonable, actual
14    costs of preparing and sending the copy;
15        (2) that tools are made available by the original
16    equipment manufacturer at no charge and without requiring
17    authorization or internet access for use or operation of
18    the tool, or imposing impediments to access or use of the
19    tools to diagnose, maintain, or repair and enable full
20    functionality of digital electronic equipment, or in a
21    manner that impairs the efficient and cost-effective
22    performance of any such diagnosis, maintenance, or repair,
23    except that, when the tool is requested in physical form,
24    a charge may be included for the reasonable, actual costs
25    of preparing and sending the tool; and
26        (3) that parts are made available by the original

 

 

HB3593- 3 -LRB103 28492 SPS 54873 b

1    equipment manufacturer, either directly or through an
2    authorized repair provider, to independents repair
3    providers and owners at costs and terms that are
4    equivalent to the most favorable costs and terms under
5    which an original equipment manufacturer offers the parts
6    to an authorized repair provider and that:
7            (A) accounts for any discount, rebate, convenient
8        and timely means of delivery, means of enabling fully
9        restored and updated functionality, rights of use, or
10        other incentive and preference the original
11        manufacturer offers to an authorized repair provider,
12        or any additional cost, burden, or impediment the
13        original equipment manufacturer imposes on an owner or
14        independent repair provider;
15            (B) is not conditioned on or imposing a
16        substantial obligation or restriction that is not
17        reasonably necessary for enabling the owner or
18        independent repair provider to engage in the
19        diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of equipment made by
20        or on behalf of the original equipment manufacturer;
21        and
22            (C) is not conditioned on an arrangement with the
23        original equipment manufacturer.
24    "Independent repair provider" means an individual or
25business operating in this State that is unaffiliated with an
26original equipment manufacturer that is engaged in the

 

 

HB3593- 4 -LRB103 28492 SPS 54873 b

1services of diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of digital
2electronic equipment.
3    "Medical device" means an instrument, apparatus,
4implement, machine, contrivance, implant, or other similar or
5related article, including a component part, or accessory,
6with a primary purpose (i) for use in the diagnosis of disease
7or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or
8prevention of disease, or (ii) intended to affect the
9structure or any function of the body of man or other animals.
10    "Motor vehicle" means a vehicle that is designed for
11transporting persons or property on a street or highway and is
12certified by the manufacturer under all applicable federal
13safety and emissions standards and requirements for
14distribution and sale in the United States.
15    "Original equipment manufacturer" means a business engaged
16in the business of selling, leasing, or otherwise supplying
17new digital electronic equipment manufactured by, or on behalf
18of, itself, to any individual or business.
19    "Owner" means an individual or business who owns or leases
20digital electronic equipment purchased or used in this state.
21    "Part" means any replacement part, either new or used,
22made available by an original equipment manufacturer for
23purposes of effecting the services of maintenance or repair of
24digital electronic equipment manufactured by or on behalf of,
25sold, or otherwise supplied by the original equipment
26manufacturer.

 

 

HB3593- 5 -LRB103 28492 SPS 54873 b

1    "Tools" means any software program, hardware implement, or
2other apparatus used for diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of
3digital electronic equipment, including software or other
4mechanisms that provision, program, or pair a new part,
5calibrate functionality, or perform any other function
6required to bring the product back to fully functional
7condition, including any updates.
8    "Trade secret" has the meaning given to that term in
9subsection (d) of Section 2 of the Illinois Trade Secrets Act.
 
10    Section 10. Requirements.
11    (a) For digital electronic equipment and parts for such
12equipment that are sold or used in this State, an original
13equipment manufacturer shall make available to any independent
14repair provider and owner of digital electronic equipment
15manufactured by on behalf of, or sold by such original
16equipment manufacturer, on fair and reasonable terms, any
17documentation, parts, and tools, required for the diagnosis,
18maintenance, or repair of the digital electronic equipment and
19parts for the digital electronic equipment, inclusive of any
20updates to information. The documentation parts and tools
21shall be made available either directly by the original
22equipment manufacturer or via an authorized repair provider.
23    (b) For equipment that contains an electronic security
24lock or other security-related function, the original
25equipment manufacturer shall make available to any owner and

 

 

HB3593- 6 -LRB103 28492 SPS 54873 b

1independent repair provider, on fair and reasonable terms, any
2special documentation, tools, and parts needed to access and
3reset the lock or function when disabled in the course of
4diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of the digital electronic
5equipment. The documentation, tools, and parts may be made
6available through appropriate secure release systems.
 
7    Section 15. Enforcement by Attorney General. A violation
8of any of the provisions of this Act is an unlawful practice
9under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.
10All remedies, penalties, and authority granted to the Attorney
11General by that Act shall be available to him or her for the
12enforcement of this Act.
 
13    Section 20. Limitations.
14    (a) Nothing in this Act shall require an original
15equipment manufacturer to divulge any trade secret to any
16owner or independent service provider.
17    (b) Nothing in this Act shall alter the terms of any
18arrangement in force between an authorized repair provider and
19an original equipment manufacturer, including, but not limited
20to, the performance or provision of warranty or recall repair
21work by an authorized repair provider on behalf of an original
22equipment manufacturer and pursuant to such arrangement,
23except that any provision in such terms that purports to
24waive, avoid, restrict or limit the original equipment

 

 

HB3593- 7 -LRB103 28492 SPS 54873 b

1manufacturer's obligations to comply with this Act shall be
2void and unenforceable.
3    (c) No original equipment manufacturer or authorized
4repair provider shall be liable for any damage or injury
5caused to any digital electronic equipment by an independent
6repair provider or owner which occurs during the course of
7repair, diagnosis, or maintenance.
 
8    Section 25. Exclusions.
9    (a) Nothing in this Act shall apply to a manufacturer,
10distributor, importer or dealer of motor vehicles.
11    (b) Nothing in this Act shall apply to a manufacturer,
12distributor, importer, or dealer of medical devices.
13    (c) Nothing in this Act shall apply to a manufacturer,
14distributor, importer, or dealer of any off-road equipment,
15including, but not limited to, farm and utility tractors, farm
16implements, farm machinery, forestry equipment, industrial
17equipment, utility equipment, construction equipment, compact
18construction equipment, mining equipment, turf, yard and
19garden equipment, outdoor power equipment, including portable
20generators, marine, all-terrain sports and recreational
21vehicles, including racing vehicles, stand-alone or integrated
22stationary or mobile internal combustion engines, other power
23sources, including without limitation, generator sets,
24electric, battery, and fuel cell power, power tools, and any
25tools, technology, attachments, accessories, components, and

 

 

HB3593- 8 -LRB103 28492 SPS 54873 b

1repair parts.
 
2    Section 30. Applicability. This Act applies with respect
3to digital electronic equipment sold or in use on or after the
4effective date of this Act.
 
5    Section 90. The Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business
6Practices Act is amended by adding Section 2BBBB as follows:
 
7    (815 ILCS 505/2BBBB new)
8    Sec. 2BBBB. Violations of the Digital Electronic Equipment
9Right to Repair Act. A person who violates the Digital
10Electronic Equipment Right to Repair Act commits an unlawful
11practice within the meaning of this Act.
 
12    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
131, 2024.