Posted on 04/22/2015 4:37:11 PM PDT by Enlightened1
EFF is fighting for vehicle owners’ rights to inspect the code that runs their vehicles and to repair and modify their vehicles, or have a mechanic of their choice do the work. At the moment, the anti-circumvention prohibition in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act arguably restricts vehicle inspection, repair, and modification. If EFF is successful then vehicle owners will be free to inspect and tinker, as long as they don’t run afoul of other regulations, such as those governing vehicle emissions, safety, or copyright law.
Most of the automakers operating in the US filed opposition comments through trade associations, along with a couple of other vehicle manufacturers. They warn that owners with the freedom to inspect and modify code will be capable of violating a wide range of laws and harming themselves and others. They say you shouldn’t be allowed to repair your own car because you might not do it right. They say you shouldn’t be allowed to modify the code in your car because you might defraud a used car purchaser by changing the mileage. They say no one should be allowed to even look at the code without the manufacturer’s permission because letting the public learn how cars work could help malicious hackers, “third-party software developers” (the horror!), and competitors.
John Deere even argued that letting people modify car computer systems will result in them pirating music through the on-board entertainment system, which would be one of the more convoluted ways to copy media (and the exemption process doesn’t authorize copyright infringement, anyway).
(Excerpt) Read more at eff.org ...
“F or instance; in a lease, the manufacturer and its agents(dealerships) are responsible for maintenance of vehicles. You are responsible for gas and insurance.”
Read a lease contract ...
Good point. Mine is an end-of-era Vista machine, capable of 64bit, w/ Blu-Ray DVD and onboard HDMI...
25 bucks for the pooter, 10 bucks for the USB wireless N nic, and 30 bucks for the USB Wireless kb/glidepad combo.
Works like a champ. But in it's next iteration, I am going to put a monster drive in it, Win7/64, and wired Gigabit Networking... My media library has the current drive about half full, and backup to my office server is laborious over WLan... But that really is my only complaint.
If car manufactues start saying that we don’t actually own the car, then they should pony up for the costs of the property tax on a car, sales tax.
29 posts for someone to cut through the hysteria and point out that this isn’t really an issue of allowing people to “wrench” on cars as much as it is a software copyright issue.
We did that. It’s great.
Would love to learn more.
Been there done that.
You are correct and see my post #35.
Forwarded to Kenne Bell , they’ll have input to the EFF on this...
Japan “discourages” the ownership of older cars by insisting on more rigorous (and expensive—we’re talking 1000s of dollars) inspections as a car gets older. That’s why you don’t see many older cars in Japan. Ostensibly it’s a safety issue, but it’s really to keep their domestic auto industry healthy. So the perfectly serviceable cars are shipped to the third world where they continue to run for many more years.
Wow!
This nation has gone full blown Commie in just 7 years!
We haven’t “owned” our homes for generations, now cars, next our kids.
Satan smiles.....
Camel’s nose under the tent. The first step in ‘wrenching’ on a car these days usually involves checking the OBD-II codes. Wanna bet whether or not the next generation of diagnostic data is encrypted....after all, reading the codes might help me ‘figure out’ the car’s software.
How much does it cost for a standard?
I went to the Tartan Fest a few weeks ago and saw quite a collection of vintage British cars. A lot of Triumph TR6s. My aunt still has one and some guy is supposedly working on it getting it roadworthy.
I remember it sitting a lot as a kid and my uncle hating it while working on it.
It’s a control issue.
These manufactures engage in these practices simply because they can.
They count on people being too stupid or lazy to challenge them.
To be honest?
If you or I were sitting around a board room and were tasked with creating or continuing a revenue stream then we could easily come up these protocols.
It’s business.
Preying on the ignorant?
Yes.
Promoting ignorance?
Maybe.
Protecting and legislating ignorance?
Now we are talking.
I know how to fix it.
Wow, that ship sailed in the late 1980’s. We have been hacking PCM’s and tuning engines to make power that could only be imagined in the ‘60’s.
Up until about 1984, you basically rented your phone from AT&T. Is that the model the auto makers want to go to?
Every time we take a step forward these days I get nostalgic for a ‘62 Chevy.
I miss the 67 Cougar I had for a while.
Paid off or not, Just try not paying your property tax. The taxing bodies have a perpetual lien on your house and land. If not paid they will take your house and land. There is no home "ownership" as such in this country. It is a rental from the local taxing authority. Home ownership is an American illusion.
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