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Well, he said “rational,” as in, how does Deere rationalize it. As far as I can tell, they’re just parroting the usual DMCA talking points… > John Deere declin

Well, he said “rational,” as in, how does Deere rationalize it. As far as I can tell, they’re just parroting the usual DMCA talking points… > John Deere declined to be interviewed but sent a lengthy statement outlining its concerns. The company doesn’t want people altering its copyright-protected code because, said director of public relations Ken Golden, “changes could lead to the unsafe operation of products, disruption of machine capabilities and performance, changes to emissions controls, voiding of warranties and lack of transparency to the changes when the equipment is sold to another user”. But yeah, money. One thing that gets lost in this particular controversy, IMO, is that John Deere is effectively a monopoly in this space. If farmers were able to choose between tractors that were built like Dell laptops vs ones built like iPads… So this is a problem of digital rights, but one could argue that it’s also a problem of deregulation and lack of competition.

phillc73 7y ago
It's been many years since I was actively involved in agriculture, but I don't recall John Deere being a monopoly. There were choices including Ford, Case, Masse Ferguson, Kubota, New Holland and then regionally brands like MTZ and Steyr. That's not to say they're not all participating in the same practices, I just don't know, but is Deere really a monopoly?
- macintux 7y ago
  Per this page, Deere has over 30% of the market; I don't know that would be considered a monopoly, but assuming the rest of the market is heavily fragmented, it's certainly a dominant position. https://csimarket.com/stocks/compet_glance.php?code=DE https://csimarket.com/stocks/compet_glance.php?code=DE
- Eric_WVGG 7y ago
  True. My usual very-unscientific method is a search for "john deere vs" which turned up some alternatives but they seemed to be obscure to the point of giving Deere an effective monopoly, but yeah I don't really know.
- wavefunction 7y ago
  Driving through rural Texas I've even seen a Tata dealership.
- ameister14 7y ago
  I think Deere has about 25-35% of the market, with New Holland and Kubota in there afterwards
SteveGerencser 7y ago
JD is on where near a monopoly on anything other than green paint. Mahindra, Case IH, Kubota, New Holland, and on and on are all equally available, and in most cases cheaper, alternatives that function just as well. We own both a Case and a Kubota.
- magduf 7y ago
  It's probably a lot like Apple: lots of people absolutely insist on buying from them, and then complain when they get abused. But if you suggest they look at alternatives, they either dismiss it out-of-hand as completely impossible, or worse they get offended.

phillc73 7y ago

It's been many years since I was actively involved in agriculture, but I don't recall John Deere being a monopoly. There were choices including Ford, Case, Masse Ferguson, Kubota, New Holland and then regionally brands like MTZ and Steyr. That's not to say they're not all participating in the same practices, I just don't know, but is Deere really a monopoly?

macintux 7y ago
Per this page, Deere has over 30% of the market; I don't know that would be considered a monopoly, but assuming the rest of the market is heavily fragmented, it's certainly a dominant position. https://csimarket.com/stocks/compet_glance.php?code=DE https://csimarket.com/stocks/compet_glance.php?code=DE
Eric_WVGG 7y ago
True. My usual very-unscientific method is a search for "john deere vs" which turned up some alternatives but they seemed to be obscure to the point of giving Deere an effective monopoly, but yeah I don't really know.
wavefunction 7y ago
Driving through rural Texas I've even seen a Tata dealership.
ameister14 7y ago
I think Deere has about 25-35% of the market, with New Holland and Kubota in there afterwards

SteveGerencser 7y ago

JD is on where near a monopoly on anything other than green paint. Mahindra, Case IH, Kubota, New Holland, and on and on are all equally available, and in most cases cheaper, alternatives that function just as well. We own both a Case and a Kubota.

magduf 7y ago
It's probably a lot like Apple: lots of people absolutely insist on buying from them, and then complain when they get abused. But if you suggest they look at alternatives, they either dismiss it out-of-hand as completely impossible, or worse they get offended.