John Deere Promised To Back Off Monopolizing Repair. It Then Ignored That Promise Completely.
Found on Techdirt on Friday, 26 February 2021
The company's crackdown on "unauthorized repairs" turned countless ordinary citizens into technology policy activists, after DRM (and the company's EULA) prohibited the lion's share of repair or modification of tractors customers thought they owned.
John Deere, Microsoft, Apple, and countless other companies have a vested interest in making independent repair impossible and cumbersome.
When you are the only one allowed to repair your product, there is no incentive to make it as best as possible, because you'll miss possible extra earnings.