Before I Can Fix This Tractor, We Have to Fix Copyright Law; Future Tense, 1/13/16

Kyle Wiens, Future Tense; Before I Can Fix This Tractor, We Have to Fix Copyright Law:

"These hard-won exemptions last only until the next rulemaking. (That’s how unlocking your cellphone went from legal to illegal, before Congress stepped in.) In three years, proponents will have to find a way to do this all over again. This is not sustainable process—not for participants and not for the Copyright Office.

It’s time to level the playing field. Let’s make these exemptions less restrictive and shift the burden of proof a little. Instead of making supporters go to extreme lengths to show that an exemption is absolutely necessary, how about asking the opposition to show that an exemption is absolutely unnecessary? At the very least, Congress should remove the expiration date on exemptions. Once granted, exemptions should be permanent.

I’m a repairman. I recognize broken things when I see them. I got into this fight because I wanted to help people repair their broken stuff. Turns out, copyright law is the thing that was broken all along."

No more DIY farmer? John Deere copyright battle brings farm equipment ownership in question; Kankakee Daily Journal, 5/30/15

Dennis Moran, Kankakee Daily Journal; No more DIY farmer? John Deere copyright battle brings farm equipment ownership in question:

"Deere & Co. is among major manufacturers engaged in a U.S. Copyright Office battle, one over sophisticated electronic systems.

At issue is access to the software controlling much of the operation of modern cars, trucks and tractors. The software is copyright-protected and, beyond that, locked to prevent hackers and do-it-your-selfers from altering or copying it.

The people and organizations asking the Copyright Office to permit access to the software say it's a matter of fully "owning" the tractor or car you paid for, and that open access would enable consumers to make do-it-yourself repairs without having to go through authorized repair shops with software access codes.

Deere isn't the only company fighting the proposed change — General Motors, the Association of Global Automakers and Eaton Corporation are among the half dozen or so companies and manufacturer associations filing briefs in opposition — but it seems to have become the whipping boy for the opposition with one provocative online story making the rounds.

"We Can't Let John Deere Destroy the Very Idea of Ownership," reads a headline for an opinion piece on Wired, a popular magazine that reports on the culture of emerging technologies."