The thing that strikes me, having read a couple of articles on the topic, is that the OEMs in these cases think the ownership of the code is valuable enough to

The thing that strikes me, having read a couple of articles on the topic, is that the OEMs in these cases think the ownership of the code is valuable enough to jump through these legal hoops and take the hit for any negative reactions or PR that ensues. On the face of it the software would not seem to be a big component of what a farmer buys a John Deere tractor for. It has to be there, to run the thing, but does it really add that much proprietary value to the product? I don't blame the OEM for stumbling over how to deal with the ownership issues, but if I'm correct and the software is not a big part of the value prop for the equipment then just open source it and call it a day. Whats the downside of that? Someone will copy your code and start making their own tractors? Deere must feel their code is that much better than their competitors, but it's hard to believe that is really true in a practical sense.