Fight for your right to repair
Nobody likes to clean a cat box, so CatGenie created a self-cleaning litter box. Unfortunately, the CatGenie’s SmartCartridge contains a chip that refuses to operate if the cartridge has been used more than a factory-determined number of times. Even though the purchaser can take apart and refill the SmartCartridge, it still won’t work. The owner is out of luck and must purchase a new SmartCartridge.
Similar software also limits the use of cellphones, cameras, electric tools, cars and other products. It’s digital rights management gone mad, applied to products far beyond the original targets of protection, such as the content on CDs and DVDs. Under the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), equipment owners are often prohibited from making repairs to devices with copyrighted software, forced instead to take their equipment to an authorized dealer. Bypassing built-in security voids most warranties and violates the DMCA, which could result in penalties of up to $500,000 in fines and five years in prison.
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