I was reading an article about a bill pending in Nebraska that would give farmers the legal right to repair their own tractors. Sounds reasonable enough. This line struck me as both funny and tragic.
"John Deere has gone as far as to claim that farmers don’t own the tractors they pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for, but instead receive a“license to operate the vehicle”. They lock users into license agreements that forbid them from even looking at the software running the tractor or the signals it generates." Meaning, your John Deere breaks, you need to pay John Deere to fix it or be in breach of contract.
I guess those of us that have drafts or even older tractors that don't rely on GPS and "smart" systems are luckier than we realize. I think the main beneficiary of "technology" is the company that profits from selling it and not the actual user.
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- latest reply 7 years ago
7 years ago
K.C. Fox says 2017-03-07 22:41:02 (CST)
I have heard that, I don't know for a fact that is right or not. I will leave it to someone that knows.
7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
BrianL says 2017-03-08 10:11:15 (CST)
It is an actual issue of which there is pending legislation in (I believe) eight states. Nebraska is the litmus test, partly due to their legislative structure where things can move faster. Deere, Apple, etc. are all lobbying hard to prevent it. I'm just glad my mules aren't dependent upon "proprietary technology" to do what they do. Just their inborn DNA. Which I have no doubt some company would trademark if they could. Anyway, I thought the subject raised an interesting question regarding ownership and the profusion of patentable technology.
7 years ago via Forums | Front Porch Forum
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