A label on an electronic product may be written electronically and
maintains the last display state when power is removed from the label.
There are many different types of digital paper and electronic paper
known in the art that would be suitable for use as such labels. The label
includes multiple defined regions that may be independently written, with
one of the regions defined to display failure information for the
electronic product. In one implementation, the failure information is
available on the electronic product itself. In another implementation,
the failure information includes information received from a source
external to the electronic product. The display of failure information on
the label may be in human-readable and/or machine-readable form. The
result is a label on an electronic product that provides reliable
information regarding a failure of the electronic product.