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Automakers To Gearheads: Stop Repairing Cars
Mr_Blank writes Automakers are supporting provisions in copyright law that could prohibit home mechanics and car enthusiasts from repairing and modifying their own vehicles. 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. The dispute arises from a section of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that no one thought could apply to vehicles when it was signed into law in 1998. But now, in an era where cars are rolling computing platforms, the U.S. Copyright Office is examining whether provisions of the law that protect intellectual property should prohibit people from modifying and tuning their cars.
This has nothing to do with the free market. This is using government regulation to prevent the fair use of your own property.
Although I wouldn't be surprised if someone made that lame brained argument on the automaker's side. They're no more in favor of a free market than a communist is. It just so happens that when they have bought out the government, government regulation works for them, and not as a means of checking them.
Actually most hot rodders are using the new Chevy LS engines on older cars because they are so good and easy to work one even with the computer.
Google Chevy LS builds.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
Since I'm not buying it I shouldn't be taxed on it
Nope. Legally you own it. The summary is pretty clear the automakers are abusing copyright, remember?
OBDII only requires a laptop, an OBDII to USB cable, and (some free) software. Tune away. And pre '75 cars are totally modifiable, you can put an Allison V12 with a supercharger on it if you want, as they are exempt from smog inspection now.
Ugh, I think you need to actually work on cars before saying anything like that.
Only the Nissan GTR has an engine mated and tuned directly to the transmission. Other high end (150+k) cars would have this even remotely possible. Cars are mass produced. The transmission your car can be replaced with any of the like car transmissions without being disabled.
From the article;
Industry concerns are mounting that modifying these ECUs and the software coding that runs them could lead to vulnerabilities in vehicle safety and cyber security. Imagine an amateur makes a coding mistake that causes brakes to fail and a car crash ensues. Furthermore, automakers say these modifications could render cars non-compliant with environmental laws that regulate emissions.
This is not about replacing brakes, oil changes, replacing spark plugs, etc. It is about making software changes that most people do not have the experience or knowledge to do.
They are already having some difficulties. Cars are a lot more complicated than they used to be, and getting more so. That means even simple repairs on anything other than the body involve a fair amount of computer work. Want to replace the air filter? Ok. Want to replace it with a slightly different one for performance tuning purposes? The ECU is configured for the stock part, and you can't reprogram it to utilise one with lower flow resistance unless you purchase the manufacturer's highly-specialised cable and software, and even then they might not allow it to be flashed with details for non-standard parts. You can't swap the gearbox because the old one has a link to the vehicle network in order to report the current gear selection and output angular speed to the ECU, and you'll struggle to find another that speaks the same protocol - assuming there isn't a deliberate anti-tamper in place that disables the vehicle if it detects an unauthorised serial number, and again requires reconfiguring using the expensive specialised tool.
Everyone on Slashdot has seen the situation with computer technology in recent years: They are not built to be repairable. Locked-down firmware, more parts being soldered to the mainboard to bring costs and size down, and the rise of devices like tablets that deliberately render low-level access impossible so the user is confined to running only what the manufacturer permits. Same story in automotive, just a few years behind.
We kind of do the pollution thing already- you need to take smog tests in most states to keep it registered. Older cars have more trouble than newer ones. There are exemptions for cars old enough to be classics, but it is effective at weeding out those in the 15-20 year old range.
I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
But the technology does.
Actually, it doesn't. You just have to know how. All it takes is the skill to pull it off, and the cojones to laugh at the EULA/Warranty warnings.
Some of us have been modifying Apples in ways they definitely weren't built for, and have been doing so for a very long time... (In this instance, the Cube was definitely not built to take on a Radeon 8500, or the horde of other modifications I made to it.)
Seriously - bumping a HDD or RAM on a shiny new MacBook Pro is nothing that a decent soldering iron and top-grade solder can't help you accomplish. Much easier than, say, swapping out a car engine.
Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
Because you actually need to RTFA.
This is linked in the article: http://copyright.gov/1201/2015...
Relevant section:
In comments submitted so far, automakers have expressed concern that allowing outsiders to access electronic control units that run critical vehicle functions like steering, throttle inputs and braking "leads to an imbalance by which the negative consequences far outweigh any suggested benefits," according to the Alliance of Global Automakers. In the worst cases, the organizations said an exemption for enthusiasts "leads to disastrous consequences."
You'll see "Global" in that quote mind you. But if you look at some of the organizations, they include companies like Honda, Nissan, Kia, Hyundai, Toyota, Volvo, etc. I'm gonna just chalk this up to anti-American bias.
Have you ever owned apple hardware? I've modded more than a few devices, more than a few times, and Apple has no problem with it...
Have you ever owned an iMac from this decade? No screws on the outside with which to open it up - you have to buy a 3rd party cutter disc to cut the glue between the front glass and chassis so you can lift the whole unit out to work on it. The latest models can't even have their desk stands removed to put them on a Vesa mount - you have to preorder one with the Vesa mount fitted already!
I'm gonna just chalk this up to anti-American bias.
I'm American.
Wikipedia tells us this about the "Association of Global Automakers": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A...
The Association of Global Automakers (Global Automakers) is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association and Lobby group whose members include international automobile and light duty truck manufacturers that build and sell products in the United States.
However, most bizarrely, here is the member list: Aston Martin, Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, KIA, Maserati, McLaren, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota. Notably missing, the Americans and the Germans. So this looks more like this is coming from some sort of Asian lobbying group.
So I will have to correct my statement in my original post:
So simple solution . . . don't buy an Asian car, if you want to own your vehicle.
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
The same arguments were used to justify the North American Trade Agreement, which was another terrible idea. NAFTA made it much easier both to move jobs out of the US to Mexico. Additionally it helped destroy small scale farming in northern Mexico, because these farms couldn't compete with subsidized US agribusiness. Now most of the food imported from Mexico is from large scale farming, because that is competitive. The end of small farms enabled the growth of marijuana farming and the growth of violent drug cartels.
Besides the steaming pile of bull crap that is the DCMA, one of the other Republican moves was the repeal of the Glass-Steagall act, which directly lead to the Crash of 2008. Glass-Steagall didn't disappear all at once; the dismantling started during the Reagan years. It held up as long as the Democrats were in control and Volker was in charge if the FED. When Greenspan got in then the end of Glass-Steagall became a priority for the Republicans and Wall Street, and they got what they paid for.
If you don't like the DCMA, you should be terrified by the TPP, a secret trade treaty. We, i.e. the public, had no clue about what is in this thing. It's been given so called "fast track" status, so there will very limited debate or opportunity to amend the language. And since it's an international treaty, it supersedes US law. If it passes in Congress, Obama will sign it. How do you feel about letting Asian nations decide our trade policies?
The TPP effectively allows big business interests to offshore the regulatory process. It's so much easier to change the rules of the game in smaller countries where things like environmental and consumer protection have minimal impact. Since we have no idea with the treaty actually says, it seems likely that a lot of the protections that we have in the US will be effectively gutted with no way override it.
If you think things are bad now, just wait.
Why is Snark Required?
And the HP and Lexmark toner cartridge cases which were just about embedded serialization
Yeah, no. This was specifically mentioned in the Lexmark v Static Control Components case. That was already dealt with in the 6th circuit and supported 9-0 by the SCOTUS. Copy of the decision.
Automobile manufacturers, for example, could control the entire market of replacement parts for their vehicles by including lock-out chips. Congress did not intend to allow the DMCA to be used offensively in this manner, but rather only sought to reach those who circumvented protective measures “for the purpose” of pirating works protected by the copyright statute. Unless a plaintiff can show that a defendant circumvented protective measures for such a purpose, its claim should not be allowed to go forward. If Lexmark wishes to utilize DMCA protections for (allegedly) copyrightable works, it should not use such works to prevent competing cartridges from working with its printer.
Yes it is a short line, but it seems rather bright-line to cite in this case.
//TODO: Think of witty sig statement
Actually, the local Mercedes-Benz dealership doesn't do body work, so my parents had to go to the local Cadillac/5others dealer a couple years ago when a deer committed suicide by running into and bouncing off our front bumper and grill. It looked like almost no damage, but it took months to get everything fixed, since the Cadillac dealership/bodyshop didn't have any official trained MBenz mechanics to do the work that they would have had to do.
So, no, your official repair shop might not handle your windshield crack or fender scratch, even now.
The only automakers mentioned in the article (yes, I occasionally read them, so sue me) were GM and Ford, which are oddly enough the only two US companies left (left as US companies, at least). Whether Chrysler Fiat or any of the US manufacturing Japanese companies AREN'T doing this, aren't doing this YET, or just weren't worth mentioning since engineering decisions are made out of the country and thus beyond reach of mail campaigns, is anybody's guess.
Hell, the moron who replaced the water pump in a truck just before I bought didn't bother to clip the radiator hoses down [just push them into their holders].
Two weeks later, fan rubs a hole in it, and all the water gets pumped out.
Fortunately, it was a cold day and I wasn't too far from a parts store...
There are a million things that a weekend mechanic can do to make a vehicle dangerous to drive.
And don't forget the manufacturer. They can't even get it right. Are there any vehicles that don't have one or more recalls issued for them, for all kinds of fun reasons like the ignition key turning to off [and locking the steering wheel in place] while the car is in motion, or the steering wheel coming off, engine revving or turning off spontaneously, transmission shifting incorrectly, brakes failing, air bags deploying [or not].
Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
I won't let mechanics install brakes because it costs $600-$800 for two wheels, whereas I buy upgraded brake pads (make sure they're street pads, not race pads--never upgrade to racing pads; they won't stop unless they're hot) and new rotors and do my brakes in 20 minutes for about $100. Brakes are ungodly simple: take tire off, unbolt caliper, slap new pads in, pop new rotor on (if you're doing a new rotor), stick caliper back on. If you want, you can flush the brakes with a bleeder kit or with someone in the car pumping the brake pedal (just make sure you do it right--close the petcock while they have the pedal down, not after they release it!).
So yeah. I can perform a $1500 job in around $200 and less than an hour of work. Brakes are one of the most overcharged things on a mechanic's list.
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