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The feds are coming for John Deere over the right to repair

(gizmodo.com)
568 points rntn | 1 comments | 18 Oct 24 16:32 UTC | HN request time: 0.205s | source
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CatWChainsaw ◴[18 Oct 24 18:30 UTC] No.41882137[source]▶
The Feds are coming, and I hope they keep going and going until there isn't a single product or service left that dares dictate what you can do after the transaction is complete.
replies(1): >>41882261 #
pwillia7 ◴[18 Oct 24 18:42 UTC] No.41882261[source]▶
Say hello to your new Subscription products
replies(1): >>41882376 #
Gibbon1 ◴[18 Oct 24 18:57 UTC] No.41882376[source]▶
I've been rolling the idea around that perhaps if a product is encumbered by a subscription then it's not a first sale and the product counts as inventory. And gets taxed as such.
replies(4): >>41882446 #>>41882512 #>>41883730 #>>41897231 #
hathawsh ◴[18 Oct 24 21:37 UTC] No.41883730[source]▶
Intriguing idea! Some thoughts:

- If a consumer buys a car with heated seats and an option to activate the heated seats as a subscription, but the consumer elects not to subscribe, do the inactive heaters still count as inventory? If so, what if the car or heaters get destroyed but the automaker doesn't ever learn about the destruction?

- Would this apply to e-books and media? In today's market, if I buy an e-book or media from a streaming service, I'm not buying a copy, but rather a revocable license with a one-time fee. It seems like that e-book or media is inventory for the book seller.

replies(1): >>41888305 #
1. freedomben ◴[19 Oct 24 15:18 UTC] No.41888305[source]▶
IMHO it should be on the automaker to learn about the destruction. They should have to carry it as inventory just like anything else. There should be real expenses to it, not just the ability to throw it out there with some tech that blocks it unless a user registers and pays the subscription, and not have to do anything about it. I think they should also be required to pay for repairs if/when it breaks. If they want to retain ownership of the heated seats so they can charge a subscription for it, then they need to own (pun intended) the responsibilities of ownership.

While I do think that's fair, my personal hope is that such a requirement would make them stop this asinine practice.