Dive Brief:
- Acme Revival is suing three companies it says have violated Colorado’s new right-to-repair law for consumer electronics that went into effect in January. Acme is suing Toast, a point-of-sale system provider, Owl Labs, a maker of meeting cameras, and Blackmagic Design, a maker of digital camera equipment, in separate lawsuits.
- Acme Revival, which facilitates electronics repairs by connecting users with technicians using an online platform, filed the three lawsuits over the last month. Each similarly alleges that Acme was unable to make requested repairs because the companies failed or refused to provide needed repair materials.
- Acme operates across the country but filed its lawsuits in its home state of Colorado. It says it’s likely the first Colorado company to sue under the new state law, which requires most original equipment manufacturers to provide parts or instructions to independent repair companies.
Dive Insight:
The recycling industry has typically viewed right-to-repair laws as a tactic for diverting e-scrap from disposal and bringing in new business for e-scrap recyclers and refurbishers. Diverting the material may also help reduce fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in the waste stream, long considered a major safety concern for the industry.
Acme Revival says the lawsuits are meant to show that repair organizations are serious about holding brands accountable for broadening the public’s access to repair options. In its complaint against Toast, the company said the matter was “not an isolated private dispute” and “reflects a general policy or practice of withholding repair materials from independent repair providers.”
Toast declined to comment on its lawsuit, and Blackmagic and Owl Labs did not respond to requests for comment as of publication.
In Acme’s suit against Toast, the company alleges that it has received “hundreds of requests” for repairs to Toast devices, including its point-of-sale terminals, card readers and other hardware used in restaurants and retail stores. Acme says requests included needed repairs for “failed batteries and charging systems, damaged housings and touchscreens, malfunctioning card readers and buttons,” as well as problems with circuitboards, connectors and cables.
According to the complaint, Acme made numerous written requests to Toast, asking for certain service manuals, schematics, specialized tools and parts, as well as software and firmware, which it said it needed to repair customers’ Toast devices. Acme alleges that Toast did not respond or offer requested parts, tools and guidance.
Acme has lodged similar complaints against Owl Labs and Blackmagic. In separate lawsuits, Acme said it has received at least 25 requests for Owl Labs equipment repairs and 27 requests for Blackmagic equipment repairs in Colorado so far in 2026, “in addition to other requests received before that period.”
Acme said its customers asked for help fixing problems with Owl Labs equipment such as power failures, damaged or broken cameras, failed microphones or other problems. Blackmagic equipment users asked Acme to fix problems with image sensors, camera mounts, video processing modules and other issues, according to the lawsuits.
Using the same language in both lawsuits, Acme alleges that it asked both Owl Labs and Blackmagic for necessary components, parts assemblies, as well as other software and tools, but those companies “failed or refused to provide” those items or guidance.
Gay Gordon-Byrne, executive director of advocacy group The Repair Association, said in an email that she wasn’t sure how many consumer right-to-repair legal challenges have been filed in Colorado so far, but said it’s common for such lawsuits to be filed in other states with similar laws.
Gordon-Byrne did not comment directly on the Acme lawsuits, but said the Repair Association has “encouraged people to file complaints in their state” and said the actions could possibly inspire more companies to take up the issue with the attorneys general of states with active right-to-repair laws.
Acme has said it will continue to pressure companies it says are not following state laws. “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.
Colorado also has right-to-repair laws for powered wheelchairs and some farm equipment.
