The Traffic Accident Reconstruction Origin -ARnews-

DERMS System

Albert T. Baxter ([email protected])
Fri, 19 Mar 1999 09:16:36

Chuck Veppert make the anology that the information contained within the
computer black box belongs to the vehicle owner. The comparison is made
with a computer file. Granted, driving the vehicle 'generates' the info
for the computer, however the owner/driver can't turn it off at will.
Sort of like using licensed software, you only purchase the rights to
use the program to create information files, but the code and the program
itself is still owned by the company that designed and sold it to you.

Getting this information out of the system is not an easy task for the owner.
GM or whomever, has the diagnostic tools, equipment and codes to retrieve
this information. Does the 'owner' of the vehicle have the right to the
software/codes etc. to have a third party access the data? Will the mfg.
object to releasing this information claiming it's proprietary and would
give their competition an edge?

This idea is part of the IHS (Intelligent Highway System) concept....
Ownership and rights to the information gathered and recorded by these
devices has to be clarified during the initial development and before mass
use of the data recording device in the real world. Ultimately, the whole
information access availbility issue is going to end up before a judge
somewhere in the future.

Regards:

Al
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Albert T. Baxter
ACTAR Registration #116
Suncoast Collision Analysis
14840 Atlantic Avenue
Hudson Florida 34667-1006
E-mail: [email protected]
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