Right to Repair
-
Posted: July 28, 2021
Picture this…you’re in a race against the weather -- trying to bale the last field of hay before it storms. Before you know it, your tractor comes to a screeching halt. You get out of the tractor and try to find what is wrong. To your surprise, this fix is not something you can handle on your own.
You quickly call the local equipment dealer, hoping they can help you get the diagnostic software that will find the issue. Instead, the technician tells you that farmers do not have the rights to this software. Therefore, you have to load your tractor on the trailer, take it to the dealership, and patiently wait.
Many farmers are familiar with this cycle -- they break something on their machinery, find out they don’t have the rights to repair it and are sent an expensive bill from the dealership. The cause of this issue is known as “the right to repair”.
-
Posted: November 16, 2020
Over the last 50 years alone, technology has shaped American agriculture significantly.
Features such as autosteer, telematics, and hyper precision are just a few of the advancements that are taking tractors to the next level.
So... why are farmers still deciding to purchase old tractors from the 1970s & 1980s in 2020? Click to learn all the reasons why!
-
Posted: August 13, 2019Categories: Right to Repair
In our last blog post, I mentioned how some farmers are now required to sign End User License Agreements (ELUA) to operate their machinery. Manufacturers like Caterpillar, John Deere, and Case argue that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) gives them the right to lock down their equipment. In other words, Caterpillar believes that they still own their excavators – the contractor is just allowed to use it for a period of time.
So, what is the DMCA, and why must farmers fight back?
-
Posted: August 05, 2019Categories: Right to Repair
Farmers and other consumers are starting to fight back on the right to repair their own equipment. It is their belief that, if they have the ability to make a repair on their own, they should have the right to do so – and thus, these repairs would come cheaper and more quickly.
Learn more about the issue here!