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posted by janrinok on Wednesday October 28 2015, @07:36PM   Printer-friendly
from the so-there dept.

An Anonymous Coward offers the following:

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/oct/28/its-ok-to-hack-your-own-car-us-copyright-authorities-rule

Car owners and security experts can tinker with automobile software without incurring US copyright liability, according to newly issued guidelines that were opposed by the auto industry.

The Library of Congress, which oversees the US Copyright Office, agreed with fair use advocates who argued that vehicle owners are entitled to modify their cars, which often involves altering software.

Automakers including General Motors and other vehicle manufacturers such as Deere & Co opposed the rules. They said vehicle owners could visit authorized repair shops for changes they may need to undertake.


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  • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Thursday October 29 2015, @09:01AM

    by aristarchus (2645) on Thursday October 29 2015, @09:01AM (#255939) Journal

    Because, technically, you can't "rip out a page" of the built-in program, and insert a page of your own. You have to make a copy of the built-in program [assuming you want to figure out how it works and/or restore the system to the original setup] and then replace it with your own.

    Which, um, would mean it is not a "copy", it is a "replacement"? So absolutely no copyright violation involved. And more to the point, only altering my copy, which I can fold, spindle, or alterate to my heart's content without violating copyright, unless I sell copies at a profit! Remember that part of when copyright was a tort? Where there had to be some profit? Not just ripping a DVD or John Deere' diesel ECU? Oh what sad times we live in, where corporations can find such saps to defend the indefensible!

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