As crazy as it seems, John Deere and other manufacturers who have computers on board their products are asking the Copyright Office to look into how the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) influences the very nature of “ownership”. John Deere states that computer code is essential to the tractor and is protected by the DMCA, then it is impossible for the farmer to actually own the tractor since the software remains the property of John Deere.
Wired magazine reports:
“John Deere argues that allowing people to alter the software—even for the purpose of repair—would “make it possible for pirates, third-party developers, and less innovative competitors to free-ride off the creativity, unique expression and ingenuity of vehicle software.”
Since farmer’s cannot access the software and thus repair their equipment, many farmers have opted to stick with or purchase tractors that do not rely on computers to operate.
Check out the full story on Wired.
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