Automakers Trying to Make it Illegal to Modify Cars
 

Apparently it looks like automakers are trying to make it illegal to modify our cars using the Digital Millenium Copyright Act or DMCA. They are saying that cars nowadays rely on the ECU to the extent that the car is a mobile computer and we should not be able to touch it even though we own the car, or so we thought. It has been stated that even though we buy our cars, we are actually borrowing the car from the manufacturer and paying to use the technology. I am not going to list all of the companies petitioning this as they are all in the articles that I have listed below, but Mazda is one of them.

The best part is that John Deere actually thinks that you can pirate music while rollin in your combine. This shows that they actually know nothing of what they are talking about.

So, if this is the case, we actually own nothing in our lives. If we buy a house, then we are only borrowing it from the bank and our payments are only for us to have a place to live. Basically a detached apartment. I could keep going with examples but you all are smart and get what I am saying.

It looks like this is a way for them to monopolize the market, have vehicles only go to the dealer for repair, and jack up the prices to what they want to charge. This will also shut down small mechanic businesses that are more reliable than the dealer in some cases.

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/s/gm-for...160000229.html

Carmakers Want To Use Copyright Law To Make Working On Your Car Illegal

You worry too much.

Not really. Just sharing.

It is already illegal to tamper with anything emissions related ... so the legality boat has sailed a long time ago.

This falls in the same category as the internet censorship they keep trying to pull. It won't work.

Its only illegal if you get caught.

This never stopped me from pulling my computers apart and doing what I pleased with them. I think the only thing they have us on is emissions bs and that is already illegal even in states without testing.

When they get autopilot systems in them i.e. full driverless mode in cars, I can see modding those as illegal to prevent bad operation of the automatic system.

This is a ploy to be able to justify denying warranty claims. IMO.

Trust me, as an embedded developer, I can tell you that no matter what they do to lock down an ECU that we will find a way around it.

All it would take is one threat of lawsuit to COBB, and the would voluntarily cease and desist to avoid bankruptcy.

Then where would we be.....................

rip out the ecu and go stand alone. give them the finger in the process.

most dealerships will cover anything under warranty regardless of modifications as long as they can swing it without getting caught by the manufacturer because it gives them work. They will never turn away work as long as they can help it

so basically it's like owning windows, right?

never signed any end user license agreements, so they can kiss it :smokin:

If I recall the southpark episode correctly, it only the guy at the front that doesn't have to,....Kiss it


EYE BA'REEV IN YOOO


Oh yeah, that was apple, my bad

Let me finish that sentence for you!

Then where would we be.............

Using a stand-alone or updated diy like an advanced megasquirt-ish system. It would create a vacuum that somebody would fill. Welcome to capitalism!

I wish there were already a stand-alone affordable obd-II compliant system I could use for some interesting motor swaps, lol. Lots of cases where it physically bolts right in, but electronic engine controls are difficult. A working mazdaspeed 5 would be right up my alley!

Trust me, I get the concept.

Unfortunately the realities of the difficulty in creating a reliable product, sufficiently complex to operate the platform at the level we've come to expect, in the quantities the market demands, puts the price point way above were the market will bear.



so you have cobb versatune and hypertech operating on a very thin profit margin
If threatened with a viable suit in the millions for jacking with proprietary intellectual property,..... they will stop

hell Hypertech didn't want to offer the idle adjustment for fear of the emmisions issue Alex alluded to earlier.

Lemme give you another pertinent example, Dashhawk. Why does a beat up, screen burned item, from an era when PCI was replacing ISA command a $200 asking price, and sell immediately ? because the market has not chosen to fill the void



Hmmmmmmm.

I think I just had a vision of Kevin Spacey ......... type E