It’s official: John Deere and General Motors want to eviscerate the notion of ownership. Sure, we pay for their vehicles. But we don’t own them. Not according to their corporate lawyers, anyway.
In a particularly spectacular display of corporate delusion, John Deere—the world’s largest agricultural machinery maker —told the Copyright Office that farmers don’t own their tractors. Because computer code snakes through the DNA of modern tractors, farmers receive “an implied license for the life of the vehicle to operate the vehicle.”
It’s John Deere’s tractor, folks. You’re just driving it.
More @ WIRED
Small wonder mahindra (an indian company) is crushing them in sales...and they have been beating them for over 3 years.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rushlane.com/mahindra-overtakes-john-deere-becomes-largest-tractor-manufacturer-in-the-world-1232421.html
Didn't know that. Thanks.
DeleteJD is an American company. NOT!
ReplyDeleteDidn't know that.
DeleteMahindra is the largest tractor manufacturer in the world. However, they don't have anything to compete with the big tractors from Deere, Case-IH and AGCO. I don't like this idea of the company retaining ownership rights but I can understand where a big corporate farm or an owner of fleet vehicles would actually like it. Just like a lot of things these days, it's not good for the little guy.
ReplyDeleteThe real problem is with our GM cars and trucks and other brands too (if not now.. soon). It's only a matter of time before GM turns you in to the law for driving above the speed limit. They can monitor your OnStar equipped car real time and they do.
They could actually call the law on you and disable your vehicle so you'd still be sitting there when the cops arrived. That from a manufacturer that is making production cars capable of near 200 mph right off the show room floor, bone stock.
CH
Big Brother at his finest.
DeleteAll of the big tractor manufactures are now on the same model as Airbus. Parts come from all over the world. I think the large JD tractors are still assembled in the US.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
ReplyDelete