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Wired has an article which responds to the view of John Deere and General Motors on what the people who buy their vehicles actually own, which was expressed during comments on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA):
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.
Several manufacturers recently submitted similar comments to the Copyright Office under an inquiry into the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
...
General Motors told the Copyright Office that proponents of copyright reform mistakenly “conflate ownership of a vehicle with ownership of the underlying computer software in a vehicle.” But I’d bet most Americans make the same conflation—and Joe Sixpack might be surprised to learn GM owns a giant chunk of the Chevy sitting in his driveway
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Mr Big in the Pants on Friday April 24 2015, @06:04AM
Very funny. That is not how businesses work. They buy the thing they need at the best price they can get. Moral stands to achieve an aim that will never work due to the phenomenon known as the "fate of commons" (originally also about farmers) is not part of good business. This also goes for the other "consumers" as well.
That's right folks this is the new economy in which your role is consumer wage slave and you own nothing, not even yourself!
For the average slave:
1) You will buy their shit (typically on credit) to live and "be happy" which result in you struggling to make ends and being miserable while being perpetually in debt.
2) You will pay premium prices to house, clothe, feed, etc you and your family with substandard products.
3) You will not longer actually OWN anything: it will be leased, licensed or borrowed from a major corporate. This includes yourself.
4) The Corporates/Wealthy will use all the money you give them (which they owned anyway) to buy your politicians (who are part of the club and were never yours to start with) and ensure you NEVER escape.
5) Much like a concentration camp, the people with their boot on your neck should you step out of line or have an opinion will be other slaves who secretly enjoy this sort of thing.
For the enlightened "revolutionary" slave:
1) Exactly the same as above but with more moaning and bruised necks.
And this system will be so cunning and brilliantly designed that there will be no need for physical walls, gates or even mainstream acknowledgement of its existence.
Bow to your masters folks, slavery is alive and well in the USA! (and almost everywhere else)
The future is now.
Not pessimistic enough for you?
Well this Utopian future will only last until robots are capable of replacing workers - then the REAL fun starts!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by SubiculumHammer on Friday April 24 2015, @07:10AM
Over the top. Sure.
More true than it should be. Yup.
(Score: 2) by Mr Big in the Pants on Friday April 24 2015, @06:08PM
I was going for hyperbole but then I also realized that it was more true (for many people not all) than it should be NOW, let alone in the future.
meh...