Topic: No more free data cards from the Classic Centre?

[UTn_boy]

  The fact of the matter is that when one legally owns a car, that person owns more rights to the data card for that car than MB does.

From what I have read auto manufactures own the software in your car and it's illegal to modify it, though I have heard of legislation to change that.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/04/automakers-say-you-dont-really-own-your-car

more recent news
https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-wins-dmca-exemption-petitions-tinkering-echos-and-repairing-appliances-new

Lucas and yourself are right along the lines of software, but what does software have to do with a data card?  Our cars have no software in them.  I'm excluding the Bosch fuel computers for the D-jet cars because MB bought a license to use that from Bosch in their cars.  The same holds true for any products made by VDO (late cruise control, instrumentation, etc.), FORD Philco (early cruise control), and Chrysler for the automatic climate control.  I'm referring to the rest of the car.  The data card includes nothing relating to software.  It's option codes, production information, engine number, transmission number, front and rear axle numbers, and the types of tires and lights used.  Am I missing something? 

[ptashek]

Am I missing something?

Just a tangent in the thread, nothing unusual

[rumb]

Not really, I've just been caught guilty of wandering a bit with this thread. 

[UTn_boy]

Ah ok.  I was worried that I was the one that had gone off on a tangential plane or completely missed the general idea of something that one of you fellas had said. 

[marku]

Just looking at the new EPC and noted that it states that it holds over 30 million datacards from 1978 but only those for the European market. A re-import from a non European country will show the datacard greyed out.