Not if it's their own car industry. They'll only throw the book at foreign companies.

All of that will be accessible for third parties, because afaik it has to be in the EU. The cost is a different question, but I think that's not a surprise for BMW customers.

I don't see how "oh third parties can get a bit for it" is really an acceptable answer. Lightning cables are readily available but that wasn't consumer-friendly enough for the EU. I think the parent is right, let Ford try this and see how quickly the EU goes after them, because this is quite frankly very anti-consumer.

That is a different legislation.

Ford in the EU is a european car manufacturer with around 100 years of history, so yeah, I think the answer will be the same as for BMW. And sure, car makers have special status - they have just recently secured a huge win in reducing the scope of emmission-related fines, which will now be charged from 10g/km instead of 0g/km from 2035. But this too applies to every manufacturer.

> That is a different legislation.

I understand the legislation is different, but the anti-consumer sentiment is the same, but worse in this case since I have a feeling the screw bit won't be nearly as available and cheap as Lightning cables are.

> Ford in the EU is a european car manufacturer

An American company with factories in the EU. I don't think it's the same as a company headquartered in the EU.

No, anti-consumer sentiment is "you have to buy a different charger for each device and it becomes obsolete with the device".

Factories in the EU means workers employed and taxes paid in the EU. It means a lot here.

> No, anti-consumer sentiment is "you have to buy a different charger for each device and it becomes obsolete with the device".

But you don't? The other end of any Lightning connector is USB-A or USB-C. Works just fine anywhere.

> Factories in the EU means workers employed and taxes paid in the EU. It means a lot here.

So I guess going back to the original parent's point: if your company is producing stuff in Europe, proprietary screws are just fine from a consumer point of view. Which kind of confirms everyone's suspicions about EU regulations... they're just foreign company shakedowns under the guise of "protecting the consumer."

> Which kind of confirms everyone's suspicions about EU regulations... they're just foreign company shakedowns under the guise of "protecting the consumer."

Zero evidence was provided to support this, but I guess facts don't matter anymore.

> Zero evidence was provided to support this, but I guess facts don't matter anymore.

What do you think the whole thread was about?

Apple makes a proprietary connector: anti-consumer behavior according to the EU. Use a standard connector or get fined to oblivion.

BMW makes a proprietary, patented _screw_: perfectly acceptable according to the EU.

Are you being intentionally obtuse here or what? The proof is that you have an instance of the same behavior in two different domains, with the main difference being one company is American and one is European.

> Apple makes a proprietary connector: anti-consumer behavior according to the EU. Use a standard connector or get fined to oblivion.

This was not reactive behavior to Apple on the part of the EU, the legislation was agreed long time ago and there was a period until which all manufacturers had to adapt. Zero evidence.

> BMW makes a proprietary, patented _screw_: perfectly acceptable according to the EU.

Car (parts) market is a different one, different rules apply. Additionally it was not proven there will be no aftermarket availability of the parts. There is no proof, I am sorry.

No. No, you don't understand. This is actually pro-consumer because if the patent is enforced, other car-manufacturers cannot pull this stunt. So, thanks BMW, good job for keeping anti-competetive practices at bay by patenting them.