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RightTo/Repair
Article 03 · By brandFiled 2026-06-29

New York / smartphone/Fairphone

Fairphone smartphone owners in New York.

4 statutory rights, plus Fairphone's own self-service repair channels and known controversies.

Figure 01 — Fairphone repair channels

Self-service available

Fairphone repair channels

Self-service portal

shop.fairphone.com

Fairphone is widely regarded as the gold standard for repairability. All spare parts are sold direct-to-consumer at transparent prices, and modules can be swapped by users with a standard Phillips screwdriver - no proprietary tools or pairing required. Fairphone 5 (2023) ships with 8 years of OS/security updates and 8+ years of spare parts availability. Step-by-step repair guides are co-published with iFixit.

Authorized providers

support.fairphone.com

Sample spare parts

  • Fairphone 5 display modulesee source
  • Fairphone 5 batterysee source
  • Fairphone 5 USB-C port modulesee source
  • Fairphone 5 rear camera modulesee source
  • Fairphone 5 back coversee source

Known repair issues

  • Limited geographic availability. Fairphone devices are sold primarily in Europe, which limits the impact of its repairability advantages on consumers in North America, Asia, and other regions.

Figure 02 — Statutory rights in New York

Statutory rights in New York

  1. 01

    Right to parts, tools and documentation for digital electronics

    Original equipment manufacturers of digital electronic products sold in New York must make diagnostic, maintenance, and repair parts, tools, and documentation available to independent repair providers and owners on fair and reasonable terms.

    New York Digital Fair Repair Act, S4104A / GBL §399-nn
  2. 02

    Assembly-of-parts option for manufacturers

    Manufacturers may comply by selling an assembly of parts rather than individual components if providing individual parts would pose a safety risk. Critics note this weakens the law in practice.

    New York GBL §399-nn(2)(d)
  3. 03

    No requirement to disclose trade secrets

    The law does not force manufacturers to share trade secrets, source code, or security-sensitive information, but they must still provide the documentation needed for typical repair.

    New York GBL §399-nn(3)
  4. 04

    Enforcement by the NY Attorney General

    The New York Attorney General has exclusive enforcement authority and can seek injunctive relief and civil penalties. There is no private right of action.

    New York GBL §399-nn(5)

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