Copyright Law To Make Working On Your Car Illegal

[siemprelisto]

You know what a pain those plastic engine covers are? How they get in the way and hide your own car’s engine from you? Well, consider that black piece of molded plastic a metaphor for something much worse: the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Automakers are trying to use the DMCA to say you can’t work on or modify your own car....

Complete article here;

http://jalopnik.com/carmakers-want-to-make-working-on-your-car-illegal-beca-1699132210/+megneal

[tom4bren]

It sounds a lot worse than it is. Software modifications to a vehicle already voids the warranty so making it illegal will have little effect. It'll also be one of those infamous 'unenforceable' laws anyway.

The only effect that it may have is that if you change the software in your car & then sell it, if the buyer is ever injured as a result, you could be held liable. Of course that can be said with any modified vehicle (which is why the VX02 could never be sold & will be crushed some day).

[eternal21]

It sounds a lot worse than it is. Software modifications to a vehicle already voids the warranty so making it illegal will have little effect. It'll also be one of those infamous 'unenforceable' laws anyway.

The only effect that it may have is that if you change the software in your car & then sell it, if the buyer is ever injured as a result, you could be held liable. Of course that can be said with any modified vehicle (which is why the VX02 could never be sold & will be crushed some day).

Mmmmmm....I wouldn't say that it's over-blown.

http://www.wired.com/2015/04/dmca-ownership-john-deere/

http://www.wired.com/2015/02/new-high-tech-farm-equipment-nightmare-farmers/

[WormGod]

This debate comes up maybe every 5 years. In the long run, it just comes down to warranty voiding. Car makers argument is only based on the loss of $$ from people not purchasing extended warranties at time of purchase. Your average car purchaser trades a car in every 4-5 years as to where your typical tuner doesn't purchase the ext/warr because they understand that as soon as they tune/tinker, it is gone anyways.

Too many aftermarket manufacturers out there that stand against it. Plus, MANY aftermarket parts actually are BETTER for safety and economy, so the green delegates love to sing to that tune. My old STi was "quite" tuned/modified. After all was said and done, it was pushing more hp/tq, ran cleaner, and even got better mpg. Be damned if I will ever stop tinkering. ;)

[eternal21]

Too many aftermarket manufacturers out there that stand against it. Plus, MANY aftermarket parts actually are BETTER for safety and economy, so the green delegates love to sing to that tune. My old STi was "quite" tuned/modified. After all was said and done, it was pushing more hp/tq, ran cleaner, and even got better mpg. Be damned if I will ever stop tinkering. ;)


From the debate, it looks as if the hardware (exhausts, intakes, short shifters, etc) are fair game. Looks like the manu's are claiming the software is off limits. So flash tuning, etc, would be off the table, b/c the code would have to be reverse-engineered for it to work.

[nfpgasmask]

This is just another small step towards destroying car culture as we have known it for a century.

Bart

[WormGod]

From the debate, it looks as if the hardware (exhausts, intakes, short shifters, etc) are fair game. Looks like the manu's are claiming the software is off limits. So flash tuning, etc, would be off the table, b/c the code would have to be reverse-engineered for it to work.

I would love to see a list of these "car makers" in question. Hardware is useless without a tuning it to the config. Welcome to every car being nothing more than a glorified 17 year old's Civic. *sigh*

[tom4bren]

They were actually talking about this on HLN this morning.

[eternal21]

I would love to see a list of these "car makers" in question. Hardware is useless without a tuning it to the config. Welcome to every car being nothing more than a glorified 17 year old's Civic. *sigh*

General Motors Company
BMW Group
FCA US LLC
Ford Motor Company
Jaguar Land Rover
Mazda
Mercedes-Benz USA
Mitsubishi Motors
Porsche
Toyota
Volkswagen Group of America
Volvo Cars North America