Undoing our DRM Dystopia with Cory Doctorow
Our world is becoming digitized at breakneck speed, with manufacturers putting Internet-connected computers into everyday objects from the lights in our homes to even cars and medical devices. This phenomenon, known as the “Intern
et-of-Things”, is making our lives more convenient in many ways – but in many cases companies are able to make sure strings are attached long after we make a purchase. Whether its your Epson printer being bricked remotely so you buy a new one or keeping your tractor from receiving third-party repairs, companies are using “digital rights management” (DRM) as powerful tool to control machines long after they are purchased – and with profit in mind. In our latest What the Fix Podcast, special guest Cory Doctorow explains how we got to this DRM dystopia and what can be done to avoid a future where every object in our home is ruled by corporations. (Fight to Repair)
Amazon vacuums up Roomba maker iRobot, raising privacy concerns
Would you give Amazon the layout to your home? Well, you soon may not have a choice if you’re a Roomba customer.
In a statement released on Friday, the e-commerce giant announced it was acquiring iRobot, the company best known as the maker of the popular vacuuming robot, Roomba. Amazon will purchase the consumer robot company in an all-cash deal for around $1.7 billion. The deal, however, still needs to be approved by regulators. (American Economics Liberties Project)
Independent Maine auto repair shops pursuing right-to-repair referendum
A group of independent Maine auto repair shop owners, their employees and supporters filed an application for a citizen initiative with the Secretary of State’s Office announcing their intentions to seek a statewide referendum vote in 2023 that would protect their right to repair new cars and trucks.
The Right to Repair campaign contends that more than 90 percent of new cars are equipped to transmit real-time diagnostic and repair information wirelessly only to vehicle manufacturers, a tactic Right to Repair advocates says threatens the rights of consumers to choose to get the cars they own fixed at an independent repair shop or to even do the work themselves.
The Secretary of State’s Office confirmed that supporters of the Right to Repair initiative filed paperwork, including proposed legislation, on Wednesday. (Pressherald.com)
Zen and the Art of Repair Manuals: Enabling a Participatory Right to Repair Through an Autonomous Concept of EU Copyright Law
Repair manuals are an essential resource for repairing today’s modern and computerized devices. Though these manuals may contain purely utilitarian and uncopyrightable facts, they often receive copyright protection in their entirety as literary works. This protection can impede community-based efforts toward fostering a culture of participatory repair throughout the EU, including repair cafés and tool libraries. Participatory repair activities provide numerous environmental, social, and economic benefits. This article explores whether directive 2001/29/EC’s exception for “uses in connection with the repair or demonstration of equipment” at Article 5(3)(l) (the “Repair Exception”) may offer an avenue for enabling such non-profit activities.
Following an examination of the shortcomings of recent EU-wide policy measures and industry-led commitments aimed at providing access to repair information, the article looks to the Repair Exception’s origins, member state implementation, and its interpretive scope as an autonomous concept of EU law. Considering the strong public interest in participatory repair and dissemination of technical knowledge, the article calls for a robust autonomous interpretation of the Repair Exception in line with Article 11 TFEU. This interpretation should enable non-profit repair activities throughout the EU while accounting for and balancing the legitimate economic interests of rights holders. (Infojustice.org)
New Jailbreak Code for John Deere Is Here to “Liberate the Tractors”
A new jailbreak code for John Deere tractors revealed Saturday at the DefCon security conference in Las Vegas, is the latest tool in the right-to-repair movement’s fight to make everything a little more durable and sustainable.
Farmers are used to fixing what’s broken with their own two hands, however manufacturers purposefully put lockouts in tractor software to prevent unauthorized repairs. The company promised to simplify things, but didn’t put forth the effort until March of this year. But there was always an option: you could hack the tractors and bypass the security codes held only by dealers. (Jalopnik)
Following Right to Repair Ruling Harley Davidson faces Lawsuits
Harley-Davidson is facing a pair of Federal lawsuits following a Federal Trade Commission vote that upheld owners’ “right to repair” in June.
According to Reuters and other news outlets, the lawsuits do not allege that Harley-Davidson broke any specific laws as much as they may have limited owners’ choices on repair options and also allegedly threatened to void warranties over the installation of aftermarket parts. At the time, Westinghouse was also singled out for their warranty and repair policies.
Allegedly, Harley told owners that the bikes had to be repaired at Harley-run service facilities and factory parts had to be used to repair the bikes. Those actions allegedly run afoul of anti-competitiveness laws in California as well as antitrust provisions in Wisconsin, thus the latest legal action. (Advrider.com)