This is what I find most interesting about the VW ECU fiasco.
The auto OEM's have been spending the last few years lobbying to put auto ECU's (and all other automotive software authored by the OEM) under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and make any modification of said software illegal.
In opposition are hot rodders and those who make aftermarket ECU's which are pretty much mandatory to allow engine swaps, for example.
As of this summer (2015) it looked like the OEMs had enough ears in Washington to get their way. I suspect that has taken a beating now; the OEMs may never get their wish now, or if they do, it will be much watered down.