Colorado's new right-to-repair law is getting an early court test after Acme Revival sued three hardware manufacturers. As WasteDive detailed, the suits allege that the company withheld repair access that customers and independent technicians should be able to use under state law.
Here's what to know
The outlet noted Acme Revival, which connects customers with electronics repair technicians, has brought some of the first lawsuits under Colorado's electronics right-to-repair law against Toast, Owl Labs, and Blackmagic Design.
The company says the manufacturers did not provide the parts, schematics, tools, software, and other materials required for independent repairs, as required by law. Toast declined to comment, while Owl Labs and Blackmagic did not respond to requests for comment, WasteDive said.
In Acme's case against Toast, the company says it has fielded "hundreds of requests" to repair Toast equipment, including point-of-sale devices, card readers, and other hardware used by restaurants and retailers, per the outlet.
The repair requests, Acme says, involved "failed batteries and charging systems, damaged housings and touchscreens, malfunctioning card readers and buttons," as well as issues with circuitboards, connectors, and cables.
Across those lawsuits, the requested fixes included power failures, broken cameras, failed microphones, camera mounts, image sensors, and video processing modules.
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In the Toast complaint, Acme says the matter is "not an isolated private dispute" and "reflects a general policy or practice of withholding repair materials from independent repair providers," per WasteDive.
More background
When companies keep parts and repair information locked down, consumers and small businesses are often left with limited options: paying for an official repair, replacing the device altogether, or leaving it unused.
That can mean costly downtime on top of an already expensive repair bill. Recyclers have long backed right-to-repair efforts because easier repair and refurbishment can keep more electronics in use instead of sending them into the waste stream.
There is also a safety angle, as lithium-ion batteries in discarded electronics have long been a major fire concern in waste and recycling systems.
Colorado's repair rules already extend beyond consumer electronics, WasteDive noted. The state also has right-to-repair laws covering powered wheelchairs and some farm equipment, demonstrating how access to repair is increasingly being treated as a consumer-rights issue with real financial and environmental stakes.
"We intend to continue pursuing manufacturers that fail to comply with [right-to-repair] requirements," said Kaye Cantutay, Acme Revival's brand coordinator, in an email to the outlet.
What's being done?
Instead of waiting for regulators to act, Acme is using lawsuits to press manufacturers directly and make clear that ignoring repair laws can have consequences.
Gay Gordon-Byrne, executive director of advocacy group The Repair Association, said in an email to WasteDive that she did not know how many such consumer right-to-repair cases Colorado has seen so far.
She also said the group has "encouraged people to file complaints in their state."
These cases could help determine whether right-to-repair protections have real teeth for consumers and small businesses dealing with broken hardware.
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