Farmers Fight John Deere Over Who Gets to Fix an $800,000 Tractor

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/com...-an-800-000-tractor/ar-BB10MABk?ocid=msedgntp

A longish article over the computerized agricultural machines and who has to rights to repair them, access the software or modify it. Another battle over Hitech reminiscent of the stance Apple has taken over phone repairs. We own the code and you only have the right to use it. Nothing really new but now coming to bear on the family farm.

 

They want to keep you in the sandbox because


There is a cottage industry of tractor hackers. I'm not saying it's right but you won't be able to stop farmers forever.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...acking-their-tractors-with-ukrainian-firmware

On its face, pirating such software would seem to be illegal. But in 2015, the Librarian of Congress approved an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for land vehicles, which includes tractors. The exemption allows modification of "computer programs that are contained in and control the functioning of a motorized land vehicle such as a personal automobile, commercial motor vehicle or mechanized agricultural vehicle … when circumvention is a necessary step undertaken by the authorized owner of the vehicle to allow the diagnosis, repair, or lawful modification of a vehicle function."

This means modification of embedded software is legal long as it can still meet emission requirements. Whether the exemption allows for the downloading of cracked software is an unanswered question.

 

you won't be able to stop farmers forever

Hey, I have an idea rent to own.
Oh yeah ain't going to happen.
Go get them breadbasket of America I mean comrade.

"Comrade" was a light-hearted remark I meant no offense to any one group or individual or state of mind thank you! Keep on hacking!!