The FTC is demanding that PC brands revise their practice of using warranty stickers to restrict consumers from disassembling their computers, violating their right to repair their own systems.
It also requires that products such as air purifiers and treadmills improve their warranty practices.

In response to the current USMaintenance autonomyThe U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)ClaimPC brands including ASRock, Zotac, and Gigabyte must revise their practice of restricting consumers from disassembling their products with "tear-off warranty" stickers, to avoid affecting consumers' rights to repair, disassemble, and upgrade their systems themselves.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission believes that the practice of restricting disassembly with warranty stickers violates consumers' rights to self-repair. Therefore, it requires PC brands to adjust this practice and plans to review the warranty terms of each brand after 30 days. If there is still no improvement, further fines will be imposed.

However, industry players including ASRock, Zotac and Gigabyte have not yet responded to this.

In addition to requiring PC brands to improve this practice, the FTC also requested adjustments to air purifiers, treadmills and other devices that also use warranty stickers to restrict consumers from self-repairing.

In the view of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, brands should not use warranty stickers to restrict consumers from disassembling and repairing their devices themselves unless they obtain additional exemptions or provide free repairs or free replacement parts under warranty.