Vehicle owners in California and across the United States will soon be able to alter their automobiles software without violating U.S. copyright laws, thanks to changes with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

As part of the latest three year review, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group based in San Francisco, filed petitions seeking changes to parts of the copyright act that prohibit consumers from unlocking software on certain products. Two of the petitions dealt directly with automobile software used to control a vehicles engine and emissions-control units. A lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation said the group believes that researchers and car owners need access to vehicle software not only to make repairs or to adjust performance, but also to improve security. Continue reading →