Unlocking new cell phones to become illegal on Saturday

[nsane.forums]

Switching carriers without permission could run afoul of the DMCA.

An edict from the Library of Congress is about to make phone unlocking illegal for the first time in 6 years. The decision, issued in October, is part of a triennial process whereby the Librarian of Congress hands out exemptions from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

The two previous batches of regulations, issued in 2006 and 2010, respectively, granted users permission to unlock their phones in order to switch wireless carriers. But in the wake of a 2010 decision holding that software is licensed rather than sold, the Library reversed itself and declared phone unlocking illegal once again. The Librarian was also influenced by claims that there are more unlocked phones on the market than there were three years ago.

The new ruling comes with a grandfather clause. It will continue to be legal to unlock phones purchased before Saturday, January 26. But if you unlock a phone purchased after that date you could be liable under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which prohibits the "circumvention" of copy protection schemes.

Obviously, this isn't what Congress had in mind when it passed the DMCA as an anti-piracy measure 15 years ago. Legislators intended for the law to bolster copy-protection schemes like those on Blu-Ray discs and iTunes content. But ever since it was enacted, manufacturers have been trying to use the law to lock down other types of media and devices. The courts have rejected efforts by the manufacturers of printers and garage door openers to use the DMCA to lock down their products. But Blizzard was more successful in using the DMCA to shut down unauthorized World of Warcraft bots. As far as we know, no one has actually been sued under the DMCA for unlocking their phone, so it's not certain how the courts would rule on the question.

It's important to note that unlocking a phone in order to take it to another carrier is different from jailbreaking it in order to install software not approved by the manufacturer. Jailbreaking is legal under the new rules—but only for phones, not tablets. And no, that doesn't make sense to us either.

View: Original Article

[bubbada]

This is absolutely stupid the only ones are going to benefit is the telco's/manufacturer's they more likely get u to pay a ridiculous sum of money to get them to unlock yer phone IF they would its totally up to them not You anymore, DMCA is For Dumb Mad Copyright Act see how its been beneficial to google being Act of a nuisance.

i guess there is always gonna be a way to kill phones off to get u to buy more ewaste. :huh:

2nd hand dealers will have there hands full now of useless locked phones.

"Die Freedom of Choice, Mawhahahahahahahahahaha" says the DMCA :lol:

[Marik]

they don't care about it, they just what our fuc*ing money by any means necessary

[nIGHT]

Americans will be left behind by any means, technology/modernization/trends,

if these trolling things keep happening to them. :think:

I pity our brothers/sisters in America for they will soon become obsolete;

Removing these things that equips us to become more competitive and informed is like decreasing our chances of survivability. :(

I am not american but I already heard lots of people in america committing suicides, some together with their family, due to driven to poverty.

Now they are pushing their own people to the edge, I will not be surprised more news will come out about a suicidal killing spree. :unsure:

"The poor will become poorer and the rich will become richer."

The US gov't no longer represent their own (American citizen) people's rights, freedom and interest.

It became an oligarchy and corporatocracy country. <_<

WAKE UP Amercians! Fight for your rights,freedom and survivability

so you may have a good chance to compete and feed your family! :angry:

[Ambrocious]

This is the totalitarian tip-toe into tyranny. Making new laws that make otherwise normal people seeking a simple solution into a criminal for jail breaking thier phone is creating artificial criminals. How do you have the worlds largest police state ever> Make so many offensive laws for the people, force them to follow the rules, you are garanteed to create criminals where there would be none regularly.

They want to turn The United States of America into a prison and criminal minded people as a way of bringing us into a total and complete societal collaps and they are doing it faster now! Obama has 4 more years to destroy this country and I feel like a passanger on the TITANIC who can't get off to save my own hide! Rule after rule, law after law...all setup to enslave and enforce. This will create subservant class minded people who are obediant threw fear of punishment (much liuke North Korea) and I have got to say, Im gonna pull a Gandalf the Grey and stand firm in the face of tyranny and scream...

The United States government are criminals put into possitions of power threw fraud and lies and promises of a better world by the now defunct leader Obama (Barry Soetoro). America is heading towards a civial war because eventually they will come for our guns and when they do...there will be a shit storm of hell everywhere. Nearly everyone I know that owns a gun (they aren't criminals in the slightest) are saying that they WILL NOT turn in thier guns. This day is coming...it's coming soon. Here is an extra video from the Documentary "Fall of the republic" made in late 2009: