On September 24, 2015, the “E-Warranty Act” of 2015 (S. 1359, 114th Cong. § 3, 2015) was signed into law. The law now permits manufacturers to post their warranty terms and conditions online on the manufacturer’s website, instead of the printed format previously required. Manufacturers who post their warranty information online will be required to include the URL where consumers can find warranty terms either 1) on the product itself; 2) on the product packaging; or 3) in the product manual. The new law also requires manufacturers to include a phone number, mailing address and other “reasonable non-internet based means” of obtaining the warranty terms. As always, the warranty terms must be stated in a clear and conspicuous manner. This law represents a welcome modernization of warranty disclosure requirements.
