World Class Faculty & Research / July 9, 2015

Automakers Try to Stop the Gearheads

SMITH BRAIN TRUST -- After you buy a car, do you really own it? Automakers are appealing to the U.S. Copyright Office for intellectual property protection of software regulating emissions, steering and other aspects of vehicle performance. Such a broad interpretation of copyright law would require car owners and third-party mechanics to use manufacturer-approved diagnostic equipment to analyze and fix problems. More significantly, it would limit the aftermarket modifications that backyard tinkerers and professional repair shops have long made without interference. If the Copyright Office sides with carmakers, could “end the American pastime of tinkering under the hood,” writes William Rand, a marketing professor at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business and director of the school's Center for Complexity in Business. Read his Wall Street Journal guest column.

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About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

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