PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 11, 2015
You Own Devices Act
Amends federal copyright law to allow the owner of a machine or other product operated in any part by a computer program to transfer an authorized copy of the computer program, or the right to obtain such copy, when the owner sells, leases, or otherwise transfers the machine or product to another person. Prohibits such right to transfer the computer program from being waived by any agreement.
Requires any right to receive modifications to such a computer program relating to security or error correction that applied to the owner of the machine or product to apply to the person to whom the machine or product and the copy of the computer program are transferred.
Prohibits this Act from being construed to permit the owner to retain an unauthorized copy of the computer program after such a transfer.
People & committees
Rep. Farenthold, Blake [R-TX-27] · R–TX
Legislative record
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
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No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 12, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.R.862 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
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