## Open Hardware

# Why?

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### Why?

# Because

* John Deere
* Apple
* Tesla
* HP 
* ...

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### Why?

## John Deere

* Digital keys (“Service ADVISOR,” encrypted ECU files) sold only to franchised dealers.
* Contract language banning owners from “accessing source code.”



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### Why?

## John Deere / issues

* Downtime: farmers can’t harvest until a dealer drives out.
* Monopoly pricing: FTC says labor rates run 2–3 × higher than independent techs could charge.
* Legal chill: Deere-farm-bureau MoU bars the farm lobby from pursuing right-to-repair bills.

Note:

* Farmer with lawn $600k ornament 
* Ukrainian hackers
* [Source](https://www.agriculturedive.com/news/deere-right-to-repair-ftc-investigation/730432/)

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### Why?

## Apple

* Parts pairing”: replacement cameras, batteries, even screens must handshake with Apple’s servers or functions are degraded.
* Activation Lock is now extended to individual parts.

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### Why?

## Apple / issues

* Independent shops sidelined: Face ID, Touch ID, True Tone and other features break if Apple refuses calibration.
* Higher e-waste: perfectly-good donor parts are unusable.

## Nice side/effect

* Regulatory friction: Oregon’s 2025 law outright bans parts-pairing—forcing Apple to dial it back.

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### Why?

## Tesla

* Only Tesla will sell many critical parts; service manuals sit behind paywalls; software locks block salvaged modules.
* Warranty language voids coverage after most third-party repairs.

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### Why?

## Tesla & issues

* Supracompetitive pricing: class action alleges owners pay far above market for simple repairs.
* Service deserts: where no Tesla center exists, cars can sit immobile for weeks.
* Data monopoly: Tesla harvests telematics but withholds diagnostic data from independents and costomers. 

Note:

* Would like to dig deeper into Tesla's compliance with EU regulations 

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### Why?

## HP

* “Dynamic Security” firmware silently disables printers if a cartridge lacks an HP-signed chip.


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### Why?

## HP / issues

* Instant bricking: firmware pushes have frozen printers mid-emergency jobs (one plaintiff was a disaster-response charity).
* Consumable monopoly: users must pay HP’s 60-80 % markup on toner/ink.
* Legal exposure: HP settled a March 2025 class action but pays no damages, and the lockout code remains on by default. 

Note:

* Other printers brands, namey, OKI have similar behaviors 

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### Why?

# And many many more

1. Repair monopoly → price & time penalties
1. Regulatory & security opacity
1. E-waste acceleration
1. Chilling effect on competition and innovation

Note:

1. Repair monopoly → price & time penalties

   When diagnostic software, cryptographic keys or parts supplies are closed, the manufacturer alone sets both the repair timetable and the price. Markets for independent service collapse.

1. Regulatory & security opacity

   Closed devices often hide firmware vulnerabilities and safety issues from third-party auditors, while still claiming “security” as the reason for secrecy.

1. E-waste acceleration

   Parts pairing and locked firmware make reuse and refurbishment uneconomical. Functional components head to recycling, and owners buy new hardware instead.

1. Chilling effect on competition and innovation

   Start-ups that could build accessories, do performance mods, or offer analytics can’t legally access the interfaces. That concentrates revenue with the OEM and slows downstream innovation.

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### Why?

It's not only about competitions between suppliers,<br>
**it's mainly about equity in access to technology.**

Note:

If companies prioritize for maximum proffit lower income persons will never have similar access.