GM, Ford, and Others Want to Make Working on Your Own Car Illegal

[Drache]

One of the inherent rights of owning a vehicle is the ability to get on one’s backside — a wrench in one hand and a grease rag in the other, and just tinker to your little heart’s desire. Since the vehicle was invented, it’s been an important facet within the community of gearheads.

General Motors — the same company responsible for 87 deaths related to faulty ignition switches, FYI — wants to take that right away from you citing safety and security issues. Along with a few other big names.

It’s called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). It’s been around since 2000 and started as anti-Internet piracy legislation. But automakers want to use it to try and make working on your own car illegal. Yes, illegal. The general premise is that unlike cars of the past, today’s vehicles are so advanced and use such a large amount of software and coding in their general makeup, altering said code could be dangerous and possibly even malicious.

Listing the vehicle as a “mobile computing device,” the law would hypothetically protect automakers from pesky owners looking to alter any sort of technology in the vehicle that relates to the onboard computer. Flashing your ECU would be a big no no, which could also lead to all sorts of problems for aftermarket shops.

What GM, and even tractor companies like John Deere, argues is that you, as an owner, don’t actually own your car. Rather, you’re sort of just borrowing it for an extended amount of time and paying for the rights to use the technology. If it sounds ridiculous— it is. But it gets even more ludicrous.

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, John Deere argued that “letting people modify car computer systems will result in them pirating music through the on-board entertainment system.”

That’s right— pirating music. Through a tractor.

DMCA does give a little bit of leeway, though. While the act could hypothetically lock customers out of key safety features, it would still allow owners the ability to repair other areas of the vehicle’s onboard computer as they see fit. It’s a slim compromise, but one that may be more closely based in reality.

As it currently sits, there are 13 (!) large automakers on the list supporting the DMCA. Want to know who they are? Of course you do:

General Motors Company
BMW Group
FCA US LLC
Ford Motor Company
Jaguar Land Rover
Mazda
Mercedes-Benz USA
Mitsubishi Motors
Porsche
Toyota
Volkswagen Group of America
Volvo Cars North America

Ironically, one of the brands that relies most on technology in its vehicles — Tesla Motors — in not in support of DMCA. While other American companies like GM, Ford and Chrysler all agree that working on your own vehicle should be punishable by law.

Funny how three brands that pride themselves on American ingenuity don’t want customers to work on their cars.

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/s/gm-ford-others-want-working-own-car-illegal-160000229.html

 

[Keith Mopar]

Holy crap what a bunch of bull ****. I bought it and now own it, so it's mine. No body can tell me what I can do or can't do with something that I own is bull ****. If you can't open it work on it you really don't own it.

What about independent shops? Will they all be forced out of business because they can't work on the new cars. How many jobs will be affected?

 

[67Dart273]

Don't laugh this could happen. On the other hand, manufacturers such as Holley, Fast, Edelbrock are rubbing their hands together in glee.

I forsee a time when you UNPLUG the copyrighted, "protected" Fraud computer and toss in angrily onto the service manager's desk, then plug in your third party Holley and drive off!!

 

[Frankie]

Reminds me of a conversation we had some moons ago about "Brand Loyalty". While gear heads of all kinds develop a loyalty to their favorite brand, it never reciprocal.
As I recall, stating that resulted in a lot of criticism.

 

[dodgedifferent2]

so if this goes through ... then
cell phones
computer
radio
tv's and anything else a person buys is just a glorified lease

so now nobody owns anything and big brother owns us all.
DAMN YOU BILL GATES AND MICROSOFT!!!!

 

[RustyRatRod]

This is nothing new. They have been trying for years with no success.

 

[doogievlg]

This is nothing new. They have been trying for years with no success.

This is click baiting at it's best. The law mostly if not completely is referring to people screwing with the cars computer. As you said though it's been going on for years. Sort of reminds me of all claims of rapes on college campuses and the mega lots full of unsold cars.

 

[A38Valiant]

Hmmmmmmm........
I believe under Pennsylvania law, if one of my vehicles lacks current inspection, insurance, and or registration, and I allow somebody else to drive it, I am liable. Since the automakers are now claiming they own my car, if I drive it without registration the automaker is liable, right?

 

[67Dart273]

so if this goes through ... then
cell phones
computer
radio
tv's and anything else a person buys is just a glorified lease

so now nobody owns anything and big brother owns us all.
DAMN YOU BILL GATES AND MICROSOFT!!!!

Well in fact they are a lease, sometimes, LOL, not even glorified.

The amateur radio community had a big blowup about this with Motorola some time ago, AND IT WASN'T EVEN COSTING Ma any money

Amateurs, ever since there "were" amateurs have built and modified their own equipment. This is in fact, the only service, hobby, enterprise, activity that is licensed by the federal government and which allows such modification. You cannot legally do so on CB or other commercially licensed radio services.

So a few years ago, Moto was crying and bawling that they own the rights to soft/ firmware in their (obsolete) radios. Amateurs were coming up with various hacks and firm/ software to modify these radios for use in amateur bands. It was completely stupid, and made Motorola look like a bunch of complete idiots. There was and is no financial liability or harm to the company, so it's a "lot" like "the dog in the manger"

THERE WAS ALSO some confusion, discussion, and argument some time ago about video camera capability and the licensing of internal firm/ software / code / codecs. The implication was that in some cases, you "can't" use a consumer grade camera for commercial use because of the "non" licensing of the firm /software!!!!

 

[YY1]

IIRC, the US (and maybe Canada) is one of the few countries that allows "locked" cell phones.

Everywhere else, a phone is a phone and if you want AT&T this month and Sprint next month, you just cancel one and sign up with the other.

Can't do that in the good ol' US of A.

 

[65LoveAffair]

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, John Deere argued that “letting people modify car computer systems will result in them pirating music through the on-board entertainment system.”

That’s right— pirating music. Through a tractor.

By this logic, all men should be arrested for rape simply because we have the equipment.

I read the corresponding article on Autoblog, and I noticed this little nugget:

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.

If this is true, then allowing GM to continue to manufacture cars is morally and ethically irresponsible considering their general disregard for safety.

 

[chryslerfat]

No different than the 1800`s when the officials started taxing property and then wages. We have become what our forefathers fought.

 

[norton]

This is nothing new. They have been trying for years with no success.

Years ago the big three tried to pull this off. They said that the do it your selfer's didn't have the qualifications or knowledge, to do their own brakes or front end work. The manufactures went as far as saying that a flat tire should not even be changed by the car owner. It didn't fly then and I doubt it will fly now.

 

[C130 Chief]

It's the Golden Rule (he who has the gold makes the rules). Write you congressman a letter if you want, but if someone else writes him a check...

So what happens here is if any aftermarket part or accessory manufacturer needs to interface with the car's computer they'll have to obtain a license from the OEM. If you buy an aftermarket "chip" or anything else that talks to the computer the OEM gets a cut. OR it voids your warranty.

The free market has ways around this, always has, always will. Isn't there a current thread about downloading music?

 

[RedFish]

Modern vehicles do so much steering and stopping themselves. So many sensors involved and proper service procedures required. I'm not about to accept responsibility for a failure or put myself in that position.
Those of us who have wrenches, hammers, ect... as our favorite toys should have something suitable to use them on.
Legislation cant stop ignorance. Some men will go into a chess match with bowling ball in one hand and cold beer in the other. Faces and names of loved ones on the chess pieces wouldn't stop some of them.

 

[toolmanmike]

What I took from reading a couple different articles is the legality of modifying the computer programs or emissions systems. This is about software copy-rites and not about repairing your own car or having a repair shop repair it. Put a Bully Dog chip in your diesel pick up or remove your exhaust emissions equipment and you have broken the law.

 

[Demon416]

Hmmmmmmm........
I believe under Pennsylvania law, if one of my vehicles lacks current inspection, insurance, and or registration, and I allow somebody else to drive it, I am liable. Since the automakers are now claiming they own my car, if I drive it without registration the automaker is liable, right?

Good point. If they claim to own it, then they are liable.

What a bunch of BS anyway. Good way to have all the gear-heads stop buying new vehicles. It would also negatively effect the economy "big time." What a bunch of greedy white collared jerks!

 

[Mopar Tim]

Modern vehicles do so much steering and stopping themselves. So many sensors involved and proper service procedures required. I'm not about to accept responsibility for a failure or put myself in that position.
Those of us who have wrenches, hammers, ect... as our favorite toys should have something suitable to use them on.
Legislation cant stop ignorance. Some men will go into a chess match with bowling ball in one hand and cold beer in the other. Faces and names of loved ones on the chess pieces wouldn't stop some of them.

this being the case, the warranty should cover these things for the life of the vehicle.

 

[krazykuda]

Hmmmmmmm........
I believe under Pennsylvania law, if one of my vehicles lacks current inspection, insurance, and or registration, and I allow somebody else to drive it, I am liable. Since the automakers are now claiming they own my car, if I drive it without registration the automaker is liable, right?

Then we should not have to pay for it. If we don't own it, they why should we pay???

 

[krazykuda]

this being the case, the warranty should cover these things for the life of the vehicle.

Yes, we shouldn't have to be responsible for paying for repairs if we don't own it...

 

[67Dart273]

Microshaft has forever been trying to slant the computer market. One recent "innovation" is the "UEFI" diddling MicroSHAFT did with the bios. This is supposed to make the machine more secure, but all it really does, is to make it more difficult to set up dual boot and or alternative operating systems, like Linux.

When Whenhozed HA-eight came out, they didn't even any longer give you a Winhozed certificate. It's hidden in the bios, but worse, I know of no way (yet) to get it out, as it's encoded.

WHAT THIS MEANS in the simplest 'xample, is if you have a machine and your hard drive throws a rod, and you haven't bothered to save the product key, "you may or may not" be able to re-install WhineHoared. Why? Because the bios thing is "fussy."

I'm really hoping I can live out my life, whatever little bit of Microshit I use, on Whdoze sleven.

Of course the REALLY big thing that's hard to hack is Mopar ECUs!!!!

 

[No name needed]

What I took from reading a couple different articles is the legality of modifying the computer programs or emissions systems. This is about software copy-rites and not about repairing your own car or having a repair shop repair it. Put a Bully Dog chip in your diesel pick up or remove your exhaust emissions equipment and you have broken the law.

^^^^^^^
This.

Of course govt. And big business have been trying to control everything from the cradle to the grave. They don't want you to own anything.

 

[64DartGTinAZ]

Courts already shot it down, and no applicable to pre-computer controlled engines: http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/victory-carmakers-cant-use-the-dmca-to-make-working-on-1738997079

 

[jeffnmo]

Demon416 got it right, GREEDY WHITE COLLARED JERKS. People and big companies who already have tons of money always want more, what they have is never enough.

Jeff

 

[famous bob]

demon416 got it right, greedy white collared jerks. People and big companies who already have tons of money always want more, what they have is never enough.

Jeff

---------------------------------------------------just another step towards socialist communism!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!