Massachusetts Vehicle Data Access Lawsuit Goes to Trial

All eyes in the auto care industry will once again turn to Massachusetts as the trial begins in Federal Court to hear the challenge brought by the vehicle manufactures against the voters of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on the data access law. Approved by voters on Nov. 3, 2020, by an overwhelming 75-25 percent margin, the new law would require manufacturers to provide vehicle owners both access and control of the diagnostic and repair data generated by their vehicles. The lawsuit, filed by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the car companies’ trade group, asks the court to overturn the data access ballot question based on a host of allegations including cyber security concerns, insufficient time to comply with the new data access requirements and their contention that the ballot initiative is preempted by federal law. The trial is expected to last about a week.