autto.net

Range rover, aston martin, porsche, and mercades benz have all copied Audi. Why didn't they copyright thier lights

They are not copying, they are just using a form of their style. Besides, look at Asian cars there is more copying then you can shake a stick at. The technology is patented, you cannot copyright it, that is for written/published matter.

DRL are mandatory in a number of countries. You can't "copyright" a safety standard.

Sweden was the first country to mandate DRL so Saab and Volvo were probably the first to "develop" the technology, followed about 5 minutes later by any manufacturer who wanted to sell in Sweden. There's nothing particularly challenging about rigging the headlights to come on at reduced power during the daytime so there's not likely anything specific to DRL that would be patented in such a way as to involve any licensing issues.