Obama signs E-Label act that will phase out regulatory logos on the back of your devices

[Jos]

Well thought out, carefully crafted gadgets are a thing of beauty. But for all the streamlining and minimalism that may go into a design, there’s no avoiding those off-putting logos and regulatory compliance numbers tattooed on the back of devices. Well, at least there wasn’t. Until today. 

US President Barack Obama has officially signed the E-Label act into law, which means that manufacturers can begin displaying things like FCC symbols, ID numbers, and other labeling within software instead of physically printing this information onto the hardware itself.

The legislation was originally proposed by U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) earlier this year. The senators argued that the changes would allow manufacturers to save money and pass savings onto consumers. While I highly doubt consumers will see significant savings -- if any at all -- because of this, for manufacturers, it’s one less thing to worry about. If anything, companies making smartwatches and other wearable devices will certainly appreciate having fewer icons to squeeze onto them.

Of course, this law only applies to U.S. regulatory labels. If the device is to be sold in Europe, for example, certification labels representing the European Commission (EC) and its Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) initiative will have to stick around a while longer.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/58993-obama-signs-e-label-act-phase-out-regulatory.html

 

[mrtraver]

I'd never noticed before, but my 2013 Nexus 7 does not have any of these regulatory labels visible on the outside. Unless they were on a sticker that I don't remember peeling off.

 

[Emexrulsier]

I normally only see stuff like that on the back if I phones

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Hey how bout that....next time I hear about the govt never doing anything useful, I'll be sure to tell them that new phones won't have an extra logo on the back

 

[cliffordcooley]

Hey how bout that....next time I hear about the govt never doing anything useful, I'll be sure to tell them that new phones won't have an extra logo on the back

LOL - That has got to be the funniest comment I've read in a last week or two.

 

[Xclusiveitalian]

Now you really won't know what is a knockoff and what isn't.

 

[cliffordcooley]

Hahaha! So the logos are actually protection against duplication. The logos are just so difficult to copy, after getting every other aspect of the phone correct.

 

[p51d007]

Funny...my Huawei Ascend Mate2 bought in July, through Huawei USA, has nothing on the stock back cover except a tiny Huawei logo, below the camera.

 

[Uncle Al]

Maybe they got the idea from all those "tagless" Fruit of the Loom commercials ... God, I hope we're not going to start seeing government commercials with Obama in place of Jordan! Arrrrggghhhhhh!!!!

 

[QuaZulu]

Good grief! This has to go to the president?! Russia, IS, Ebola, immigration, taxes...and, oh yeah, e-labels on electronic equipment. Or maybe this is just another sad indication of how gridlocked the USG is - can't agree on anything except something this low on the "totem pole." Sheesh!

 

[captaincranky]

Now you really won't know what is a knockoff and what isn't.

Yes, but I wouldn't care. Does it even matter? What's the f***ing difference? The fakes are most likely made after hours in the same Chinese factories as the real ones.

In China, "Oh-Sha", is the name of the delivery company in charge of bringing toxic chemicals to the job site. Make sure Mrs. Chang packs a small mirror, a rolled up 20 Yuan note, and a single edged razor blade in your lunch box, so you'll be ready to party like there's no tomorrow when the van gets there.

Ooooorrr maybe, you'll be able to tell if it's a real iPhone when it drops calls if you hold it wrong.

Oooooorrr, maybe they'll change the law so you have to put stickers on the fakes! Something like this: ">gotcha(y)sucka<".