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BMW’s Newest “Innovation” is a Logo-Shaped Middle Finger to Right to Repair (www.ifixit.com)
submitted 8 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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Adafruit: From Ultimate Driving Machine to Ultimate Rent-Seeking Machine: The BMW Logo Screw Patent.

If you haven’t already heard, BMW’s R&D teams have been busy “innovating.” Unfortunately, they aren’t focusing on the things that actually matter—like stellar engine performance or the legendary driving dynamics that gearheads love. Instead, the C-suite execs decided that the best use of their engineering budget was to design a proprietary security screw specifically intended to prevent BMW drivers from fixing their own cars.

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[–] 36 points 8 months ago (7 children)

Harbor freight will have these weird screwdriver tips in a kit within 12 months.

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  • [–] 23 points 8 months ago (5 children)

    Proprietary security screws have existed for a long time. There's a reason they're using their logo, and its not vanity, its a weaponization of trademark law. Recreating the tip would mean recreating a trademark without authorization.

    Few reputable companies will be willing to take that risk.

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  • [–] 22 points 8 months ago

    Sega tried this back in the 90s and already lost in court. The court ruled that by making the use of it's trademark a required element in order to perform an otherwise lawful activity, any resulting trademark confusion was the fault of Sega.

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