I'm very glad to see farmers win the right to repair their tractors. It's a win for consumers against bogus #IP objections from manufacturers.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64206913
Excellent background from @doctorow.
https://doctorow.medium.com/john-deeres-repair-fake-out-79da4978f4c1
"#Deere abuses copyright law to force farmers to pay for official repairs — even when the farmer does the repair. That’s possible thanks to a practice called VIN locking, in which engine parts come with #DRM that prevents the tractor from recognizing them until they pay hundreds of dollars for a John Deere technician to come to their farm and type an unlock code into the tractor’s console."
Plus: The win is not as good as it looks.
Update. In rural America, right-to-repair laws are the leading edge of a pushback against growing corporate power
https://theconversation.com/in-rural-america-right-to-repair-laws-are-the-leading-edge-of-a-pushback-against-growing-corporate-power-199372
"Under the agreement, John #Deere promises to give farmers and independent repair shops access to manuals, diagnostics and parts. But there’s a catch – the agreement isn’t legally binding, and, as part of the deal, the influential #FarmBureau promised not to support any federal or state #RightToRepair legislation."
Update. Turns out that John #Deere has been using open code under the #GPL w/o living up to the license. The Software Freedom Conservancy (@conservancy) is calling on it to comply — which would enhance #farmers' #RightToRepair.
https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2023/mar/16/john-deere-gpl-violations/
"We…publicly call on John Deere to immediately resolve all of its outstanding GPL violations…by providing complete source code…that the GPL and other copyleft licenses require, to the farmers and others who are entitled to it."
Update. #Colorado governor signs tractor #RightToRepair law opposed by John #Deere.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/04/colorado-governor-signs-tractor-right-to-repair-law-opposed-by-john-deere/
Update. There's a strong #RightToRepair bill in #Michigan with grassroots support from #farmers.
https://michiganadvance.com/2023/08/23/michigan-farmers-urge-state-lawmakers-to-pass-right-to-repair-legislation/
Update.
#Scientology opposes the #RightToRepair. Wants to shield its E-Meter.
https://www.404media.co/scientologists-ask-government-to-make-hacking-e-meters-illegal/
Update. "#California Lawmakers Unanimously Pass #RightToRepair Legislation."
https://www.404media.co/california-assembly-unanimously-passes-right-to-repair-legislation/
Update. From @pluralistic: #Apple's public support for #California's #RightToRepair legislation masks deep and effective opposition.
https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/22/vin-locking/#thought-differently
Update. #Maine's #RightToRepair ballot initiative passed yesterday with an overwhelming 83.4% of the vote.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/07/us/elections/results-maine-question-4-right-to-repair.html
Inspiring #RightToRepair story from #Poland. Or perhaps it will be a #NoRightToRepair story.
https://www.404media.co/polish-hackers-repaired-trains-the-manufacturer-artificially-bricked-now-the-train-company-is-threatening-them/
"Three white-hat hackers helped a regional rail company in southwest Poland unbrick a train that had been artificially rendered inoperable by the train’s manufacturer after an independent maintenance company worked on it. The train’s manufacturer is now threatening to sue the hackers who were hired by the independent repair company to fix it."
Update on how the train-fixing Polish hackers and the train company's allegations of copyright infringement. Plus the hacker's "overwhelming evidence" that the company deliberately used artificial locks to disable the train.
https://www.404media.co/polish-hackers-explain-exactly-how-they-fixed-trains-that-the-manufacturer-bricked/
Update. #Google supports the #RightToRepair bill in #Oregon, even as applied to #Pixel phones.
https://9to5google.com/2024/01/11/pixel-right-to-repair/
But it adds this proviso: "Legislation should acknowledge the risks borne by unskilled repairers and allow original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to provide parts assemblies rather than individual components to reduce the risk of injury."
Update. "#Apple might’ve backed a #RightToRepair bill in #California, but it was spotted lobbying 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 a new bill in #Oregon that tries to ban the practice known as parts pairing."
https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/9/24067957/apple-right-to-repair-oregon-bill-parts-pairing-ban
Update. The #RightToRepair law approved by #Maine voters last November (by 84%) was limited to cars. A new bill in Maine would extend the right to electronic devices (with some exceptions). More details.
https://www.themainewire.com/2024/02/maine-lawmakers-consider-right-to-repair-for-electronic-devices/
Update. "#Oregon’s legislature just passed a #RightToRepair bill over the objection of #Apple lobbyists, and which would require Apple to change an anti-repair design in the iPhone and other devices. If signed by the governor, it will become by far the strongest repair law in the nation."
https://www.404media.co/oregon-passes-right-to-repair-bill-that-would-make-apple-redesign-the-iphone/
