SMITH BRAIN TRUST -- After you buy a car, do you really own it? Automakers are appealing to the U.S. Copyright Office for intellectual property protection of software regulating emissions, steering and other aspects of vehicle performance. Such a broad interpretation of copyright law would require car owners and third-party mechanics to use manufacturer-approved diagnostic equipment to analyze and fix problems.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST -- United’s and Delta’s shift to reward customers based on spending instead of miles could set up the airlines to milk big corporate accounts. But University of Maryland Robert H.