Digital Millennium Copyright Act

The Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a copyright law passed in 1998 to amend Title 17 of the United States Code.

Its primary provision was to outlaw the use or distribution of tools that, "Circumvent Access Control."

The law contains no consideration of fair use and has the effect of preventing people from using or repairing equipment that they own.

One such example is John Deere preventing third-party maintenance of farmers' tractors.