Posted on 06/13/2026 10:48:28 AM PDT by MikelTackNailer
Tennessee families are being squeezed from every direction. Grocery bills are up. Fuel costs more. And when something breaks, whether it’s a car, an appliance, or a piece of farm equipment, getting it fixed has become its own financial ordeal. Some of that is inflation. But some of it is federal policy, and that part is fixable.
Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was originally written to protect intellectual property. Few could have anticipated that manufacturers of refrigerators, smartphones, and farm equipment would later use it for an entirely different purpose: embedding proprietary encryption and software locks in their products, then invoking federal copyright law to ensure that only their authorized dealers can touch them.
The practical effect is that even when a repair is entirely lawful, accessing the diagnostic software to perform it may not be. Independent repair shops and small, community-based businesses fully trained and equipped for the work are legally shut out. Consumers who want to take their vehicle, appliance, or tractor to a local shop are denied that choice. They can pay whatever the manufacturer’s authorized network charges or buy something new. That is not a free market. It is a rigged one.
The economic damage is real and widespread. Auto repair shops across Tennessee are losing out on critical revenue because manufacturers restrict access to repair data. Farmers lose time and money waiting on manufacturer-dispatched technicians while equipment sits idle during planting season. These barriers extend far beyond cars and tractors. From refrigerators and power tools to bicycles and consumer electronics, any digitally enabled product is a potential target. The more technology advances, the wider the manufacturer’s grip becomes.
Reforming Section 1201 would not touch copyright protections for artists or innovators, the original objective of the law. It would simply stop manufacturers from using copyright law as a shield against competition in the repair marketplace. Consumers could choose where their products get fixed, whether at a local shop, a national chain, or their own garage. Independent businesses could compete for that work on an equal footing. That is how markets are supposed to function, and it is how this one would function if Congress updated a statute that has been exploited by large corporations.
This is not a partisan question. It is a question of whether federal law should prop up large manufacturers at the expense of working families and small businesses. Policymakers on both sides of the aisle have talked for years about supporting competition and keeping costs down. DMCA reform is a concrete opportunity to deliver on these goals. Representatives Harshbarger and Rose have already led on legislation targeting these restrictions in the automotive sector, and other members of Tennessee’s delegation have engaged the issue in agriculture – a significant part of Tennessee’s ecoonomy. The moment is right to bring these efforts together behind a broader fix.
For Latino families in Tennessee that take pride in self-reliance, work hard to balance their budgets, and build their livelihoods from the ground up, the freedom to repair what you own is not an abstract idea. It is an everyday reality. Our elected leaders should treat it like one.
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Jim
I will send you the pitch deck.
My cousin always swears at his European cars!
Great article.
I am happy others are beginning to see this.
It has become ridiculous. Many home appliances are now built with a 5-year design life and are practically disposable.
This squeezes the consumer financially; it is entirely UN-environmental (even if the product has energy star bla bla bla).
A new home AC unit has a 15-year design life. It is designed to break - the evap coil will fail (corrosion).
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I've been thinking along the same lines. But, rather than do everything from scratch, just put a layer on top of already-existing businesses that pulls them together. For example, the auto mechanic, the upholsterer and the body shop.
A good use for these new high-end AI systems might be to pull together mechanics' manuals for integration into a central, curated web site.
And, tie into Jasper for rebuilt engines and transmissions. So, the new one-stop-restoration organization becomes an orchestrator.
Also, makes me think about offering "security enhancement" services, which might include, not just alarm installation, but bullet-resistent door panel installation. So, the "orchestration company" would almost certainly need its own physical facility.
Around here in rural, NW TN I even have the people resources.
John Deere jumped on the copyright bandwagon early.
I remember when I would buy a power tool or stereo and it would have a few pages at the end of the instructions that listed every part and their part number (and the instructions were written by a native english speaker)
I dont remember when this changed, but probably in the 80s.
I do remember reading a comic in Mad Magazine explaining planned obsolescence in the early 60s and being horrified as a little kid. I still have my fathers jacobsen manor 21 lawnmower, and it works great 70+ years later. same with his porter cable router and craftsmen and s&k tools
Hopefully you returned to find live cats. Alive with cat anger LOL.
The "smart home" trend has led to manufacturers putting microchips into everything possible. Now they want us with phones always in hand to scan the code symbols being slapped on everything. I went to one store and saw those codes on shelves where prices are traditionally posted.
I went to another store.
We should team up. You’ve thought about this more than me. I can help raise the capital for our venture...
Those tractors often cultivate soybeans, a plant that is pretty much OWNED by the Monsanto company. Over time they've convinced and coerced enough farmers to use their strain of soybeans that they now totally dominate that market. Which tempts fate to blight those soybeans for not having the resilience that nature does a better job providing.
Are we having fun yet?
It's an after-sale forced lease, where the payments aren't due until you bring it in for repairs.
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
Robert A Heinlein
The practical effect is that even when a repair is entirely lawful,
That Camry may have been assembled in Kentucky. Many are / were.
I bought it because I would bump my temp up to about 79 in summer, but if I heard that an afternoon dust storm was coming in and I was at the office, I would crank it down to 74 so if the power went out it would at least be cool for a while when I got home.
The serial number on the doorframe indicates Japan but there's a nagging doubt...
They want you to recycle but scavenging at the county dump is illegal.
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