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Posted on 04/24/2015 10:37:26 AM PDT by MamaDearest
One of the inherent rights of owning a vehicle is the ability to get on one’s backside — a wrench in one hand and a grease rag in the other, and just tinker to your little heart’s desire. Since the vehicle was invented, it’s been an important facet within the community of gearheads.
General Motors — the same company responsible for 87 deaths related to faulty ignition switches, FYI — wants to take that right away from you citing safety and security issues. Along with a few other big names.
It’s called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). It’s been around since 2000 and started as anti-Internet piracy legislation. But automakers want to use it to try and make working on your own car illegal. Yes, illegal. The general premise is that unlike cars of the past, today’s vehicles are so advanced and use such a large amount of software and coding in their general makeup, altering said code could be dangerous and possibly even malicious.
Listing the vehicle as a “mobile computing device,” the law would hypothetically protect automakers from pesky owners looking to alter any sort of technology in the vehicle that relates to the onboard computer. Flashing your ECU would be a big no no, which could also lead to all sorts of problems for aftermarket shops.
What GM, and even tractor companies like John Deere, argues is that you, as an owner, don’t actually own your car. Rather, you’re sort of just borrowing it for an extended amount of time and paying for the rights to use the technology. If it sounds ridiculous— it is. But it gets even more ludicrous.
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, John Deere argued that “letting people modify car computer systems will result in them pirating music through the on-board entertainment system.”
Solution: Drive a pre-computer car! Plus most of them are old enough to be exempt from all the polution control testing and certification.
Deere is getting weird. These are low tech rednecks pretending to be high tech. Why would some new fangled licensed music player EVER go through the ECM. Ever?
That would provide another revenue source for those police departments that are out of control (a small but dangerous minority). Plus it would give obnoxious neighbors another avenue for harassing those they wish to harm.
If they want to kill the new car market, this would be the way to do it.
Secure property rights in the US have been going the way of totalitarian states.
My uncle has a country place, that no one knows about.
He says it used to be a farm before the motor law...
Listing the vehicle as a “mobile computing device,” the law would hypothetically protect automakers from pesky owners looking to alter any sort of technology in the vehicle that relates to the onboard computer.
Sounds like this is more about modifying cars, rather than repairing them.
But it’s still absurd.
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, John Deere argued that “letting people modify car computer systems will result in them pirating music through the on-board entertainment system.”
Having the ability to do an illegal thing and actually DOING the illegal thing are two different things. And yes, it’s all about control if they don’t even want to allow you to sharpen that butter knife.
It really is getting out of control.
Things are actually worse in Europe, where not only can you not modify your hardware, you are not even permitted to take it apart for the purposes of figuring it out. Curiosity makes you a felon. Even if the component is years old and obsolete.
It’s not absurd. And it isn’t preventing you from taking a wrench to your car.
What it’s about is people who want to “hack” the car’s computer to change the way the engine operates. To get more “performance.”
Like I said yesterday, this is a warranty issue. If you monkey with the settings to get more horsepower and end up blowing up your engine, don’t expect the manufacturer to cover your car.
It’s not absurd. And it isn’t preventing you from taking a wrench to your car.
Regarding modifying your car, there have always been laws against it to some degree. I remember a case where a guy lowered his car by removing the springs and cutting short lengths of 4x4 for the car to sit on.
Illegal. And danged dangerous.
They basically have.. You need special tools and if you’ve ever looked under your hood you would swear there is no engine just a square box with allot of wires...
When the gps and milage tracking (for taxation purposes) is added... they don’t want you guys turning it off.
Extending the John Deere arguement all computer controlled milling machines are clandestine bootleggers of music and videos. Not to mention the intelligent refrigerators with wi-fi connections. I just know my left over pizza will be downloading Italian operas while I sleep. Pavoratti serenading my pepperoni at midnight.
General Motors — the same company responsible for 87 deaths related to faulty ignition switches, FYI — wants to take that right away from you citing safety and security issues.
What GM, and even tractor companies like John Deere, argues is that you, as an owner, don’t actually own your car. Rather, you’re sort of just borrowing it for an extended amount of time and paying for the rights to use the technology.
We should all remember that a large share of GM is now owned by the United Auto Workers union thanks to the strong arm tactics of Obama.
This is a ploy to drive more work to the GM, Ford and Chrysler dealerships where the mechanics are also UAW.
And that last bit is throwing a bone to the hard Left Communist. There is no such thing a private property you know. Even if you do pay $45,000 for that F150 it’s not really yours.
Fine. But if I want to do it anyway, I will. Especially once the warranty expires.
Here’s the list from the Yahoo article. These companies support the DMCA. I suggest we contact them about their stupidity.
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
* Your car has 15 computers these days.
* You modify it and you get a virus or poorly written software.
* Something happens, the car manufacturer gets sued, and it ain't their fault....
In the "Detroit Business" monthly magazine, a one paged rapid fire interview with Bill Ford a couple of years ago had one question was real interesting. It was something to the effect tell us something about your business we don't know. Mr. Ford said something to the effect 1/2 the cost of your new car is designing it to fend off lawsuits and comply with Government Regulations.
IMHO this is the Legal Departments doing a giant CYA....
Just my 2 cents..
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