Mazda is angry a customer used an API in a manner they couldn't control. You can read the DMCA takedown notice here.

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[–] 257 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

Just start charging exorbitant amounts of money for every API call; problem solved! —Spez

(Also: Fuck Spez)

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  • [–] 141 points 2 years ago (13 children)

    This will be over soon. When the EU's Data Act comes into force, car manufacturers will be obliged to allow access to vehicle data.

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  • [–] 78 points 2 years ago (7 children)

    Also isn't it Mazda's fault for creating an API that anyone can access and get information from? Someone in Mazda IT is probably frantically looking for the email chain where he was told to "just make it public" so our outside analysts can use it.

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    [–] 135 points 2 years ago (15 children)

    This doesn't make any sense. API requests are not proprietary.

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  • [–] 76 points 2 years ago (8 children)

    That doesn't stop anybody. Just this morning Amazon sent out a wave of C&Ds because people were using their public APIs to access "proprietary data."

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  • [–] 59 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    It reads to me like: "this app does the same thing as our app therefore they must have copied our code; there is no other possible explanation". Cool story, bro. I hope the developers will fight back but that takes lots of money.

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  • [–] 113 points 2 years ago (14 children)

    I didn’t really get it until I read the article (shut up 😃), but it seems pretty clear that Mazda’s primary concern here appears to be access to this API through Home Assistant cutting off future (maybe current) owners’ requirement to subscribe to their app for features.

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  • [–] 91 points 2 years ago (5 children)

    man, remember when you could buy a car and it wasnt connected to the internet?

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  • [–] 47 points 2 years ago

    What a load of horse shit.

    Just like with hue, and Chromecast, and Android TV, and a million other smart devices, it's perfectly lawful (and IMHO necessary) for individuals to launch their own integrations with their the products they own. People don't need their bullshit "service", and by buying the vehicle they have a legally protected right to alter it and it's software for their own use.

    That they bullied this guy into taking down the repo despite what the law protects him to do is disgusting, if not also predictable.

    I hope someone with the time and resources goes to the matt with one of these shit companies and make them own up to their exploitative practices.

    I for one will be altering my Mazda how I want and sharing my alterations to get around their shit subscription model with everyone I can.

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    [–] 71 points 2 years ago (24 children)

    Eh, it's preferable when companies go ahead and self-identify as being comprehensively dog shit and worthless.

    Just another company to throw on the list who will never receive a single dollar of my money as long as I live.

    Won't lose a wink of sleep over it. Good luck, Mazda.

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    [–] 57 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    DMCA is broken, intellectual property is a scam.

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    [–] 55 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    I don't get it. People are working for free to add a feature to your product which might move more people to buy said product. Make users who use external features acknowledge some waiver that your company is not responsible for damage. If it turns out to be really good, you can fork it, hire the original inventor and turn it into a paid product. Isn't that a risk-free win? Am I missing something?

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  • [+] 49 points 2 years ago (15 children)
  • [–] 55 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (6 children)

    Lol no it wouldn't. The guy doesn't want to commit resources to fight this, since it's a hobby project and this sucked away his motivation to continue.

    Unless y'all give him enough money to mount a legal defense, no amount of fancy tech will help.

    While not exactly this situation, it has similar vibes to this: https://xkcd.com/538/

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    [–] 40 points 2 years ago* (2 children)

    Well then, anyone have this code archived? Time to make sure it makes it to torrent networks. The only way we render the DMCA irrelevant is to make it useless.

    Make sure to keep the checksums in place.

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    [–] 37 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    What a fucking joke. Let me tell you, these car OEMs are fucking SHIT at API development in general. Shit, it's a fuckin miracle when they actually have APIs. A major OEM (won't mention as it's work related for me) just recently published their APIs and MY GOD are they fucking trash, inconsistent, and throw 5xx for fucking any reason (this is absolutely NOT a small or new OEM by any fucking means... Luxury brand)

    This is simply a shit company trying to punish people because of their own incompetencies when it comes to API design and management. Oh and just anti-consumer in general, just like how they attack right-to-repair at every fuckin turn possible.

    FUCK capitalism, it's fucking broken; instead of ensuring that competition drives innovation we instead get.... LESS control LESS features for MORE across the board (subscriptions, anyone?). Anyone talking about the free market's inherent innovation is a FUCKING GODDAMN MORON

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    [–] 36 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    So .. is there a copy of the repo left that we can replicate endlessly?

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    [–] 32 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Should be legally protected and these companies should receive heavy fines for false DMCA claims

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    [–] 32 points 2 years ago

    I'll be buying a new car soon. Fuck Mazda.

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  • [+] 31 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)
  • [–] 20 points 2 years ago (2 children)
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    [–] 17 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (6 children)

    I already thought Mazda sucked and made shit products, so it’s nice that they confirmed it’s not just their products that are mediocre at best, it’s their whole business.

    Edit: Turns out my long standing perception of Mazda is woefully incorrect. I could have sworn they had a string of bad reliability issues in the early 2000’s and 2010’s but it turns out that’s just plain wrong. Couldn’t tell you what I was thinking of. Leaving the OG comment to laugh at my mistake.

    They can still eat a bag of dicks though for this DMCA abuse though.

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    [–] 13 points 2 years ago

    This is like sueing someone for knocking on your door. Just lawyers and business vampires tripping over their own dicks.

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