Big manufacturers like General Mothers and John Deere say that when you buy a vehicle, you’re not buying the software. You’re only licensing it.
Who owns the software in your vehicle? It's important because fixing a car can mean tweaking software, not just repairing a mechanical issue.
Robert Couse-Baker/Flickr
That’s an important difference because without access to a vehicle’s software, people who work on their cars may be breaking the law. Nowadays, a simple change to a car’s software can allow it to run on ethanol as well as gas, giving consumers a choice at the pump.
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden says current laws also make Americans vulnerable to cyber attacks.
"It reforms a bad law that inhibits technological innovation and it’s a first step into bringing copyright into the 21st century," he said when he introduced the Innovation Act in April.
Wyden wants Oregonians to sign a petition to tell the feds that when you buy a car, you own it all, including the software.
The U.S. Copyright Office will decide soon whether to grant exemptions to the copyright laws.