[114th Congress Public Law 51]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



[[Page 129 STAT. 494]]

Public Law 114-51
114th Congress

                                 An Act


 
 To allow manufacturers to meet warranty and labeling requirements for 
  consumer products by displaying the terms of warranties on Internet 
websites, and for other purposes. <<NOTE: Sept. 24, 2015 -  [S. 1359]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: E-Warranty Act 
of 2015.>> 
SECTION 1 <<NOTE: 15 USC 2301 note.>> . SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``E-Warranty Act of 2015''.
SEC. 2. <<NOTE: 15 USC 2302 note.>>  FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Many manufacturers and consumers prefer to have the 
        option to provide or receive warranty information online.
            (2) Modernizing warranty notification rules is necessary to 
        allow the United States to continue to compete globally in 
        manufacturing, trade, and the development of consumer products 
        connected to the Internet.
            (3) Allowing an electronic warranty option would expand 
        consumer access to relevant consumer information in an 
        environmentally friendly way, and would provide additional 
        flexibility to manufacturers to meet their labeling and warranty 
        requirements.
SEC. 3. ELECTRONIC DISPLAY OF TERMS OF WRITTEN WARRANTY FOR 
                    CONSUMER PRODUCTS.

    (a) In General.--Section 102(b) of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty--
Federal Trade Commission Improvement Act (15 U.S.C. 2302(b)) is amended 
by adding at the end the following:
    ``(4)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the rules 
prescribed under this subsection shall allow for the satisfaction of all 
requirements concerning the availability of terms of a written warranty 
on a consumer product under this subsection by--
            ``(i) making available such terms in an accessible digital 
        format on the Internet website of the manufacturer of the 
        consumer product in a clear and conspicuous manner; and
            ``(ii) providing to the consumer (or prospective consumer) 
        information with respect to how to obtain and review such terms 
        by indicating on the product or product packaging or in the 
        product manual--
                    ``(I) the Internet website of the manufacturer where 
                such terms can be obtained and reviewed; and
                    ``(II) the phone number of the manufacturer, the 
                postal mailing address of the manufacturer, or another 
                reasonable

[[Page 129 STAT. 495]]

                non-Internet based means of contacting the manufacturer 
                to obtain and review such terms.

    ``(B) <<NOTE: Applicability.>>  With respect to any requirement that 
the terms of any written warranty for a consumer product be made 
available to the consumer (or prospective consumer) prior to sale of the 
product, in a case in which a consumer product is offered for sale in a 
retail location, by catalog, or through door-to-door sales, subparagraph 
(A) shall only apply if the seller makes available, through electronic 
or other means, at the location of the sale to the consumer purchasing 
the consumer product the terms of the warranty for the consumer product 
before the purchase.''.

    (b) <<NOTE: 15 USC 2302.>>  Revision of Rules.--
            (1) <<NOTE: Deadline.>>  In general.--Not later than 1 year 
        after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal Trade 
        Commission shall revise the rules prescribed under such section 
        to comply with the requirements of paragraph (4) of such 
        section, as added by subsection (a) of this section.
            (2) Authority to waive requirement for oral presentation.--
        In revising rules <<NOTE: Determination.>>  under paragraph (1), 
        the Federal Trade Commission may waive the requirement of 
        section 109(a) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 2309(a)) to give 
        interested persons an opportunity for oral presentation if the 
        Commission determines that giving interested persons such 
        opportunity would interfere with the ability of the Commission 
        to revise rules under paragraph (1) in a timely manner.

    Approved September 24, 2015.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 1359 (H.R. 3154):
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 114-243 (Comm. on Energy and Commerce) accompanying 
H.R. 3154.
SENATE REPORTS: No. 114-77 (Comm. on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 161 (2015):
            July 9, considered and passed Senate.
            Sept. 8, considered and passed House.

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