One Controversial Thing Tractors and iPhones Have in Common

Earlier this year, Apple and Micro­soft marshaled their lobbyists in Lincoln, Neb., far from their usual corridors of political power. Their target was a proposed state law—the first of its kind, if passed—that could have set off a costly chain reaction nationwide. For decades, many electronics manufacturers have profited from a choke hold on repairs to their products. For safety reasons, and to protect against intellectual property theft, they often prohibit customers from fixing devices themselves or taking them to local repair shops.But Nebraska’s so-called right-to-repair law would have upended that near monopoly. Companies would have been required to sell repair manuals and spare parts to anyone, not just licensed technicians.In the end, with an assist from tractor maker John Deere the tech companies prevailed in blocking the legislation.In Nebraska, the legal tussle focused on tractors. The machines still have gears and blades, of course, but they are also equipped with sensors and digital consoles. For farmers, this creates a problem because they are often prevented from fixing their machinery without a technician sent by John Deere.“In the case of Deere, it’s about controlling the repair market,” says Kit Walsh, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital advocacy group. Ultimately, farmers end up paying higher prices for repairs and waste more time waiting for technicians to show up, she says.Even if you don’t own a tractor, this dispute between Deere and the farmers should feel familiar. That’s because the right-to-repair issue also affects anyone who owns an iPhone, which comes with Apple’s rigid rules that forbid tinkering with its software and making unauthorized repairs. The fight has now moved to 11 other states, where lawmakers are similarly proposing right-to-repair bills. As in Nebraska, you can count on the tech industry to wage an all-out war to stop them.