petersuberI'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
Update. 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 thx to a practice called VIN locking, in which engine parts come w #DRM that prevents the tractor from recognizing them until they pay hundreds of dollars for a John Deere technician to come to their farm & 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 greatly 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 & other copyleft licenses require, to the farmers & others who are entitled to it."
John Deere's ongoing GPL violations: What's next
I grew up on a farm. My parents worked hard to grow crops and manage the farm business. My parents also found additional jobs to make ends meet. As farmers have done for millennia, my family used tools to farm. Some of those tools were tractors. Farmers now, as they have for thousands of years, rely on their ability and right to fix their tools. Perhaps that's bending a hand rake back into shape. Maybe they need to weld a broken three-point hitch back together. Agriculture was humanity's first truly revolutionary technological advancement. Since its inception, each generation of farmers exercised their right to repair their tools. This has allowed agriculture to grow and improve immeasurably. We take for granted the benefits that this has given us, and the abundance of food it provides.
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/
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/04/colorado-governor-signs-tractor-right-to-repair-law-opposed-by-john-deere/
Update.
The #RightToRepair Is Law in #Minnesota. #California Should Be Next
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/05/right-repair-law-minnesota-california-should-be-next
The Right to Repair Is Law in Minnesota. California Should Be Next
Last week, Minnesota governor Tim Walz signed an omnibus bill that includes a comprehensive right to repair law requiring manufacturers to make spare parts, repair information, and tools available to consumers and repair shops. This law builds on smaller, but still significant, wins in Colorado,...
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/
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/
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
https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/22/vin-locking/#thought-differently
Update. #Maine has a #RightToRepair initiative on the November 7 ballot.
https://ballotpedia.org/Maine_Question_4,_%22Right_to_Repair_Law%22_Vehicle_Data_Access_Requirement_Initiative_(2023)
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
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 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."
Primary source
https://www.gstatic.com/gumdrop/sustainability/right-to-repair.pdf
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
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/
https://www.themainewire.com/2024/02/maine-lawmakers-consider-right-to-repair-for-electronic-devices/
Maine Lawmakers Consider "Right to Repair" for Electronic Devices - The Maine Wire
Maine lawmakers are considering a bill that would institute a statewide consumer products rule — dubbed the “right to repair” — for electronic devices. LD 1487 — An Act to Ensure That Residents of the State Have the Right to Repair Their Own Electronic Devices — was sponsored by Sen. Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot) last year
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/
https://www.404media.co/oregon-passes-right-to-repair-bill-that-would-make-apple-redesign-the-iphone/
Update. The European Parliament just adopted a #RightToRepair directive.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20240419IPR20590/right-to-repair-making-repair-easier-and-more-appealing-to-consumers
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20240419IPR20590/right-to-repair-making-repair-easier-and-more-appealing-to-consumers
Update. @communia argues that the new EU #RightToRepair directive doesn't go far enough.
https://communia-association.org/2024/04/23/do-we-have-a-meaningful-right-to-repair/
https://communia-association.org/2024/04/23/do-we-have-a-meaningful-right-to-repair/
After the vote: Do we now have a meaningful right to repair?
Earlier today, the European Parliament voted in favour of the Directive on common rules promoting the repair of goods. With this Directive, the EU aims to increase the level of consumer and environmental protection by encouraging consumers to repair defective products instead of replacing them. To that end, the proposal takes a number of important […]
Update. Compared to #Apple, #Google is embracing #RightToRepair. "Google wants everything you need to repair your [#Pixel] device to be available in your 'kitchen drawer.'"
https://www.androidcentral.com/phones/google-wants-to-design-pixel-phones-to-be-repairable-without-special-tools
https://www.androidcentral.com/phones/google-wants-to-design-pixel-phones-to-be-repairable-without-special-tools
Update. A new bill in Congress (Defense Reauthorization Act, Section 828) would create a #RightToRepair for the the US armed forces. Military contractors are lobbying hard to stop it.
https://www.404media.co/appliance-and-tractor-companies-lobby-against-giving-the-military-the-right-to-repair/
Update. "The US #Copyright Office [just] granted an exemption allowing third parties to diagnose and repair commercial equipment."
https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/25/24279371/mcdonalds-ice-cream-machines-right-to-repair-copyright
This amounts to a #RightToRepair. Unfortunately it's limited, for now, to “retail-level commercial food preparation equipment.”
Update. More detail on the #RightToRepair exemptions created by the US #Copyright Office (previous post, this thread).
https://www.dentons.com/en/insights/alerts/2024/november/15/major-dmca-reform
https://www.dentons.com/en/insights/alerts/2024/november/15/major-dmca-reform
Major DMCA Reform: Copyright Office Grants Broad Right-to-Repair Exemptions Across Multiple Industries
The U.S. Copyright Office has granted several significant exemptions under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that mark a watershed moment for the right-to-repair movement across multiple industries.
Update. What the #Trump administration might mean for the #RightToRepair movement.
https://www.wired.com/story/the-right-to-repair-movement-under-trump/
"Citizens of every political affiliation want to be able to change the battery in their phone. Farmers in both red and blue states want to be able to tinker with their John Deere tractors without getting locked out of the software."
#USPolitics
Update. Yay! "#Maine's #RightToRepair law goes into effect today"
https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2025-01-06/maines-right-to-repair-law-goes-into-effect-today
https://www.mainepublic.org/business-and-economy/2025-01-06/maines-right-to-repair-law-goes-into-effect-today
Update. One of the final acts of the #Biden admin #FTC is to sue John Deere for restricting the #RightToRepair.
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/deere-lina-khan-statement-final.pdf
PS: Watching what happens to this lawsuit under #Trump.
Update. "The manufacturer of a machine that costs six figures used during heart surgery has told hospitals that it will no longer allow hospitals’ repair technicians to maintain or fix the devices and that all repairs must now be done by the manufacturer itself."
https://www.404media.co/medical-device-company-tells-hospitals-theyre-no-longer-allowed-to-fix-machine-that-costs-six-figures/
Update. "All 50 States Have Now Introduced #RightToRepair Legislation."
https://www.404media.co/all-50-states-have-now-introduced-right-to-repair-legislation/
https://www.404media.co/all-50-states-have-now-introduced-right-to-repair-legislation/
Update. "Years of hard work have made it possible for us to celebrate the #RightToRepair movement time and time again. It's a group effort —folks like #iFixit, who provide repair guides and repairability scores; the #RepairAssociation, who’ve helped lead the movement in state legislatures; and of course, people like you who contact local representatives, are the reason this movement has gained so much momentum."
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/03/right-repair-prime-example-grassroots-advocacy
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/03/right-repair-prime-example-grassroots-advocacy
Right to Repair: A Prime Example of Grassroots Advocacy
Good old-fashioned grassroots advocacy is one of the best tools we have right now for making a positive change for our civil liberties online. When we unite toward a shared goal, anything is possible, and the right to repair movement is a prime example of this.In July of last year, EFF and many...
Update. Summary of 2025 progress and setbacks for the #RightToRepair movement.
https://www.wired.com/story/expired-tired-wired-right-to-repair/
(#paywalled)
"This year, the right-to-repair movement got a boost from—surprisingly—big tech, tariffs, and economic downturn. But the companies controlling who fixes their stuff aren’t giving up that power willingly."
Update. "Tech Companies Are Trying to Neuter #Colorado’s Landmark Right-to-Repair Law."
https://www.wired.com/story/tech-companies-are-trying-to-neuter-colorados-landmark-right-to-repair-law/
A new bill backed by #Cisco and #IBM would “exempt information technology equipment that is intended for use in critical infrastructure from Colorado's consumer right to repair laws.”
Update. "John Deere to Pay $99 Million in Monumental Right-to-Repair Settlement."
https://www.thedrive.com/news/john-deere-to-pay-99-million-in-monumental-right-to-repair-settlement
JustKathyWell, too bad for them.
Mike Taylor 🦕@petersuber Thank heavens for Brexit, otherwise we in the UK would be subject to the European Union's new Right To Repair law! #TakeBackControl
Nicholas Roth@petersuber Judging from the article this has been almost entirely gutted by lobbying from interest groups
@nroth
Yes, the exceptions are numerous and significant. And some of the justifications are bogus.
Yes, the exceptions are numerous and significant. And some of the justifications are bogus.
digitalRightsNinja@petersuber It’s easy to bash the train maker but it’s also a concern that the Polish train network did not impose code transparency and apparently signed a contract that allowed for these shenanigans. If the train network is spending public money (not sure), they should have the duty and wisdom to not get swindled like that.