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Automakers Say You Don’t Really Own Your Car
Electronic Frontier Foundation ^ | 4/3/15 | Kit Walsh

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 ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: car; carrepair; eff; own; propertyrights; repair; vehicleownership
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To: Vendome

“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 ...


41 posted on 04/22/2015 5:28:44 PM PDT by TexasGator
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To: FreedomPoster
The new gen Raspberry Pi makes a nice home theater PC for cheap, and is about the size of a pack of cigarettes.

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.

42 posted on 04/22/2015 5:39:05 PM PDT by roamer_1 (Globalism is just socialism in a business suit.)
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To: GraceG

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.


43 posted on 04/22/2015 5:42:58 PM PDT by American Constitutionalist (BeThe Keystone Pipe like ProjectR : build it already Congre)
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To: Myrddin

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.


44 posted on 04/22/2015 5:48:05 PM PDT by Boogieman
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To: roamer_1

We did that. It’s great.


45 posted on 04/22/2015 5:49:46 PM PDT by Excellence (Marine mom since April 11, 2014)
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To: FreedomPoster

Would love to learn more.


46 posted on 04/22/2015 5:52:37 PM PDT by SaveFerris (Be a blessing to a stranger today for some have entertained angels unaware)
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To: Boogieman

Been there done that.

You are correct and see my post #35.


47 posted on 04/22/2015 5:52:42 PM PDT by Zeneta (Thoughts in time and out of season.)
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To: Enlightened1

Forwarded to Kenne Bell , they’ll have input to the EFF on this...


48 posted on 04/22/2015 6:01:57 PM PDT by Neidermeyer ("Our courts should not be collection agencies for crooks." — John Waihee, Governor of Hawaii, 1986-)
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To: SkyPilot

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.


49 posted on 04/22/2015 6:03:10 PM PDT by hanamizu
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To: Enlightened1

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.....


50 posted on 04/22/2015 6:03:22 PM PDT by Roman_War_Criminal
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To: Boogieman

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.


51 posted on 04/22/2015 6:12:26 PM PDT by lacrew
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To: Gen.Blather
Many new cars, including mine, have no transmission dipstick. This forces you to take it to the dealer for them to change the fluid and filter. VW charges $800. I do it for $69

How much does it cost for a standard?

52 posted on 04/22/2015 6:12:41 PM PDT by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate "Republicans Freed the Slaves Month")
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To: SkyPilot

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.


53 posted on 04/22/2015 6:17:50 PM PDT by wally_bert (There are no winners in a game of losers. I'm Tommy Joyce, welcome to the Oriental Lounge.)
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To: hanamizu

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.


54 posted on 04/22/2015 6:18:02 PM PDT by Zeneta (Thoughts in time and out of season.)
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To: Enlightened1
This is why I told my wife I want a 1974 ford F150.

I know how to fix it.

55 posted on 04/22/2015 6:20:37 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the 2nd one...)
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To: Enlightened1

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.


56 posted on 04/22/2015 6:23:41 PM PDT by Clay Moore (Keep JRandomFreeper in you prayers)
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To: Enlightened1

Up until about 1984, you basically rented your phone from AT&T. Is that the model the auto makers want to go to?


57 posted on 04/22/2015 6:38:26 PM PDT by jmcenanly ("The more corrupt the state, the more laws." Tacitus, Publius Cornelius)
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To: Enlightened1

Every time we take a step forward these days I get nostalgic for a ‘62 Chevy.


58 posted on 04/22/2015 6:40:24 PM PDT by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life :o)
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To: Liberty Valance

I miss the 67 Cougar I had for a while.


59 posted on 04/22/2015 6:55:44 PM PDT by wally_bert (There are no winners in a game of losers. I'm Tommy Joyce, welcome to the Oriental Lounge.)
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To: adorno
But, in reality, we don’t own our homes, until the respective ‘mortgages’ are paid off.

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.

60 posted on 04/22/2015 6:56:31 PM PDT by Banjoguy (Start boycotting the airline industry..NOW! Drive everywhere you can.)
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