You really don't own your car.

[Son_of_Perdition]

Twist on electronic controlled equipment.

http://consumerist.com/2015/04/22/j...-claims-against-the-way-you-use-your-tractor/

It appears that manufactures are gearing up for control of their products they are making. According to them they still own the product you bought or at least the code from the computer chips that are copyrighted. They claim that you are basically renting the equipment and there are considerations for what methods of disposal or resale of the product.

I think we now have a place to dispose of the equipment when it reaches the end of it's useful life. Just drive your car to the parking lot at new car dealer and walk away, since they still own it. I was giving my old computers to Goodwill but now I'll just mail them back to HP postage due.

 

[DoItMyself]

I have no problem with manufacturers maintaining copyright on the software. Since software is so pervasive in modern cars, it only makes sense-especially from a safety standpoint. What happens if I go in and change the tune of my car, and wind up changing a parameter that controls the braking system? What happens when I have an accident because I've been playing with the code and manage to disable a safety feature?
Does that make me responsible or the manufacturer? And how should the manufacturer protect themselves from "enthusiasts" who change the programming and cause warranty issues or safety issues?
That being said, I recently replaced my old coffee pot with a Keurig 2.0. It took me about 20 minutes to figure out how to disable all of the digital lockdowns that prevented me from brewing a non-Keurig brand K cup.