I just saw these two articles in the Yahoo news today.

Automakers to gearheads: Stop repairing cars  
Car Companies Say Home Repairs Are 'Legally Problematic,' Seek Copyright Restrictions

Automakers are supporting provisions in copyright law that could prohibit home mechanics and car enthusiasts from repairing and modifying their own vehicles.

In comments filed with a federal agency that will determine whether tinkering with a car constitutes a copyright violation, OEMs and their main lobbying organization say cars have become too complex and dangerous for consumers and third parties to handle.

Allowing them to continue to fix their cars has become "legally problematic," according to a written statement from the Auto Alliance, the main lobbying arm of automakers.

We Can’t Let John Deere Destroy the Very Idea of Ownership

IT’S OFFICIAL: JOHN Deere and General Motors want to eviscerate the notion of ownership. Sure, we pay for their vehicles. But we don’t own them. Not according to their corporate lawyers, anyway.

In a particularly spectacular display of corporate delusion, John Deere—the world’s largest agricultural machinery maker —told the Copyright Office that farmers don’t own their tractors. Because computer code snakes through the DNA of modern tractors, farmers receive “an implied license for the life of the vehicle to operate the vehicle.”

It’s John Deere’s tractor, folks. You’re just driving it.

Several manufacturers recently submitted similar comments to the Copyright Office under an inquiryinto the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. DMCA is a vast 1998 copyright law that (among other things) governs the blurry line between software and hardware. The Copyright Office, after reading the comments and holding a hearing, will decide in July which high-tech devices we can modify, hack, and repair—and decide whether John Deere’s twisted vision of ownership will become a reality.

Well......could be that I never own another new car.

I better take care of the ones I currently "OWN".  And if they want to argue that point.....who is going to repay the Ad Volurem Taxes I have paid the state of KY each year?

Once I "purchase" a car... it is mine to do with as I will.....

If they pass a law like this... all car guys will start building their own and the companies will go out of business.

That is why it will never pass.... I can't believe the story is true anyway... car companies know we mod our cars.... they even provide different versions so we can "upgrade" it ourselves using their parts.

given the state of current copyright laws, or at least it's enforcement  (btw, I'm no expert)

you may copy someones design as long as it's for personal use.
being that it would be to costly to go after each and every owner for a change and essentially minimal value.
the only thing they could do would be to refuse to support it.
that would shoot themselves in the foot as all the consumers would now going to independents for service.

So, GM would do as Ferrari does and void the warranty if a non-factory certified tech touches the car... for any reason.

The newest story I have read about this pertains to the ECU's .... they don't want folks rewriting the factory software to enhance performance.
They will still let you work on your stuff...starter change , radiator change ect..... but you won't be able to "tune" your car or trucks brain.
Also with the newer cars and the computers they use for gps, music, video's ect.... some people are "hacking" the software and downloading stuff for free.... and that is what the new law/bill is trying to prevent.
Just like Microsoft, you might "own" your laptop.... but you are just "borrowing" the use of the software on it.

Pine wrote on 04/28/15 at 09:12:30:


You can't buy a laptop and re-write Windows to suit your needs - at least Microsoft doesn't want you to.  I think that's closer to what the car companies are aiming for.

I don't like it either, but with the number of things controlled by the central computer, I imagine this will pick up quite a bit of support.  I think preventing at home mechanics from tampering with the software will happen in conjunction with safety features for wireless car-hacking.  If you haven't seen that yet, it's definitely worth reading.  

when they finally start selling the automatic (you don't drive it) car, they will need to make it impossible and really illegal to hack into the brain, or some geek will reprogram his ex girlfriends' car.

Well, you could ask for the option of "manual windows and door locks" and then order a crate motor and tranny to match, then rip out your ecu, cpu and any other "pu" and wiring harnesses.

Rewire the brakes and blinkers and there you have it.... no computers.

AND you would not be breaking their "don't mess with our software rule", cause you won't be using it.