By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
In response to a request made by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, the U.S. Copyright Office is undertaking a study on the interplay between copyright law and consumer products that contain software, including motor vehicles. Software is often protected by copyright law, but exceptions in the law allow for use and access to copyright-protected elements for certain purposes. Congress is now considering changes to the law to more adequately address the issue.
In its comments, SEMA made its position clear that any changes to the law should ensure aftermarket companies continue to have access and the ability to reverse engineer the software of modern vehicles to achieve different functionality and interoperability with aftermarket components.
For more information, contact Ashley Ailsworth at ashleya@sema.org.