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Yes, I'm well aware of these restrictions. However, I don't think they impact whether or not you own the THING. What GM, Ford, John Deere, Apple, etc. have sai

Yes, I'm well aware of these restrictions. However, I don't think they impact whether or not you own the THING. What GM, Ford, John Deere, Apple, etc. have said is that you can't tinker with their firmware that is installed on the device. None of them would argue that they can come repossess your tractor/car/mobile phone. As others have pointed out, it is not currently illegal to jailbreak a phone, though that may change in the near future. To make an analogy and play devil's advocate a little further, it would be hard to argue that I don't own my home. There is a deed to that effect recorded with the county, more than I can say for anything else I own. Yet: * The state can take it from me in short order if I don't pay my taxes * I have to get a permit from the city to make any substantial modifications to the property * There is a neighborhood association that dictates property uses as well, which I have to comply with * I couldn't just knock the house down and build a car repair garage -- city zoning ordinances restrict how I use my property. And yet, I don't hear a big outcry that I don't truly own my house.

AnimalMuppet 11y ago
You forgot one. Most likely, the bank has first claim on your house.
- philipov 11y ago
  With a mortgage, in some sense you really don't own your own home. You have equity in the home, and the home is collateral on your debt for the home, so until you've payed everything off, the bank owns the home. Equity and Ownership are related, but not equivalent concepts.
rnovak 11y ago
If you read that John Deere article, their specific quote is actually that you don't own the vehicle itself: ... an implied license for the life of the vehicle to operate the vehicle And fundamentally then, I think that I disagree with that particular view of ownership. I think my views align well with those declared by the EFF, in that I believe you should be allowed to tinker with your stuff.

AnimalMuppet 11y ago

You forgot one. Most likely, the bank has first claim on your house.

philipov 11y ago
With a mortgage, in some sense you really don't own your own home. You have equity in the home, and the home is collateral on your debt for the home, so until you've payed everything off, the bank owns the home. Equity and Ownership are related, but not equivalent concepts.

rnovak 11y ago

If you read that John Deere article, their specific quote is actually that you don't own the vehicle itself: ... an implied license for the life of the vehicle to operate the vehicle And fundamentally then, I think that I disagree with that particular view of ownership. I think my views align well with those declared by the EFF, in that I believe you should be allowed to tinker with your stuff.