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Right-to-Repair Law To Get DRM Out of Your Car
eldavojohn writes "Ralph Nader's back to hounding the automotive industry ... but it's not about safety this time, it's about the pesky DRM in your car. Most cars have a UART in them that allows you to read off diagnostic codes and information about what may be wrong with the vehicle so you can repair it. Late model cars have been getting increasingly complex and dependent on computers which has caused them, as with most things digital, to move towards a proprietary DRM for these tools, diagnostic codes and updated repair information. This has kept independent auto-shops out of the market for fixing your car and relegating you to depend on pricier dealers to get your automotive ailments cured. The bill still has a provision to protect trade secrets but is a step forward to open up the codes and tools necessary to keep your car running."
People like you deserve DRM. Really, you do. You put your faith in the corporation, you deserve to be raped by the corporation. Some of us prefer more normal, consensual relations. I'm not putting you down, of course. This IS a free country. If you truly enjoy being boned with a huge wood rasp and no lubricant, go for it.
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
There-in lies the problem.
Stupid people BUY new cars that cant be easily worked on. they buy a car because "it's pretty" or has that mp3 player port. They don't buy a car based on important things like, is it serviceable? was it designed by morons? nope....
Ohh it's BLUE! is far more important that if the car can be readily fixed in 10 years at jim-bob's auto emporium and pet store on I-46 in the middle of nowhere.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.