Claiming that modern vehicles are “too complex” for home mechanics to fix, automakers are seeking copyright restrictions to prevent gearheads from working on their own cars.
The Association of Global Automakers, a lobbying firm for 12 manufacturers, is asking the U.S. Copyright Office to prevent car owners from accessing “computer programs that control the functioning of a motorized land vehicle, including personal automobiles, commercial motor vehicles, and agricultural machinery, for purposes of lawful diagnosis and repair, or aftermarket personalization, modification, or other improvement.”
“In order to modify automotive software for the purpose of ‘diagnosis and repair, or aftermarket personalization, modification, or other improvement,’ the modifier must use a substantial amount of the copyrighted software – copying the software is at issue after all, not wholly replacing it,” the AGA claimed. “Because the ‘heart,’ if not the entirety, of the copyrighted work will remain in the modified copy, the amount and substantiality of the portion copied strongly indicates that the proposed uses are not fair.”
Auto Alliance, which also represents 12 automobile manufacturers, is also asking the agency to scrap exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that allow car enthusiasts to modify and tune their rides.
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10 comments:
Welcome to my world! United Nations has been involved with motorcycle production for years. Motorcycles already have parts that cannot be replaced other than at the dealer. Modifications will as we were told be "color and chrome", nothing else! Join the fight! Maybe since they are coming after your cars now someone else will pay attention. Many of these requirements are already in place in Europe. Linda Wainer, ABATE of Maryland
They want you to pay their high inflated prices. They know we are going elsewhere for repairs and they are loosing money as a result of this. Hope they loose their fight!!! Where are the anti trust and monopoly laws to stop this? Oh I remember, our government is bought and sold by corporate interests and to hell with the rest of us!
look out oldies they are coming back at a higher cost and new ones will be for the millionaires only. New cars are already between 10,000 - 20,000 over actual cost for making the vehicle.
Yes Dealers you are making at least 6,000 minimum on each vehicle that is after all your salesmanship, incentives and all other discounts given by the manufacture.
Idiots. They sold the rights to manufacturer parts to places like Napa and auto zone etc...... Done deal! And the costs dealers charge lol will only cause parts to become stolen from people.
Ok. Hands up all those who still think this a free country.
Nooooooo. They'll show you the invoice to prove you're only paying 1c over cost, right?
They're called Stealerships for a reason.
They will be putting in tracking programs, history memory, police use only programs and the like and probably already do. They can't allow lowlife citizens to be smart enough to go in and disable that stuff!
We wouldn't want anybody to exercise any creative freedoms around here, now would we?
The good thing is if there is an EMP attack, none of these vehicles will work. The computers will be fried. Wonder if the cops have a backup plan like horses? Some of us still keep a few vehicles around that will still run after an EMP.
Emp my a$$!!!!! These companies are looking to protect their interests. Changing software in some area of a car could actually make it unsafe to drive. The average new car has at least 25 onboard computers most communicate with each other over very fast data lines. Its about the computers and your safety.
Everyone should have an older car tucked away somewhere.I keep a 40 year old car in my garage because even a mechanical moron like myself can work on it.I call it my spare,but I realize that at any given time it could become my primary vehicle.
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