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Right-to-Repair Law To Get DRM Out of Your Car

Posted by samzenpus on from the do-it-yourself dept.

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."

12 of 403 comments (clear)

  1. Prediction by interkin3tic · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ralph Nader will find a way not only to fail at getting DRM out of cars, but it will somehow result in more DRM everywhere else. Florida will be involved in some way.

    Yeah, I'm still somewhat bitter at Ralph Nader, why do you ask?

    1. Re:Prediction by FlyingSquidStudios · · Score: 1, Funny

      Is NADAR a device which tells you proximity of Ralph Nader?

      --
      http://twitter.com/OLDTELEGRAM
    2. Re:Prediction by ragutis · · Score: 1, Funny

      I mentioned this post to my wife, suggesting that Ralph may be right on this one. Her response was, "like a broken clock."

      Disclosure. We were owners of several Corvairs. Yeah, dating ourselves.

    3. Re:Prediction by Merls+the+Sneaky · · Score: 2, Funny

      You also reduce your unsafe minutes spent in the vehicle.

    4. Re:Prediction by broggyr · · Score: 2, Funny

      Seriously, shut your whole.

      Whole what?

      --
      Irony? Yea, it's like goldy and bronzy, only it's made of iron!
  2. I'm... I'm confused... by RyoShin · · Score: 3, Funny

    Do... do I still try to make a car analogy?

    Maybe a simple "In Soviet Russia car analogy make you?"

    1. Re:I'm... I'm confused... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      And then we can finally torrent all the cars we want to! =D

  3. Open standards before cars can fly... by Onyma · · Score: 4, Funny

    I hope they get this sorted out before cars can fly. I'd like to know that 3 long blinks and 2 short ones means my parachute failed... long before I'm cursing the manual while free-falling from 20,000 feet.

    --
    Play me online? Well you know that I'll beat you. If I ever meet you I'll "/sbin/shutdown -h now" you. -Weird Al, kinda.
  4. Re:Meh. by iowannaski · · Score: 2, Funny

    If Microsoft ... are they in the wrong?

    Yes. Generally speaking.

    --
    i forget
  5. OpenToyota 2.0 by nausea_malvarma · · Score: 2, Funny

    DRM in my car!!! Shit... can't I just wipe it, and install linux on it?

  6. Re:Good. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    "MB even refuses to publish or allow others to publish detailed maintenance info."

    Milton Bradley never had a manual included with the Monopoly car. They just expect you to "trade in" for some other piece, which usually requires mortgaging some property.

  7. Re:This is a very old issue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Holy crap, a reversed car analogy!