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WinMX World :: Forum  |  Discussion  |  WinMx World News  |  Starting Today, It's Illegal to Unlock Your Cellphone (US)
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Author Topic: Starting Today, It's Illegal to Unlock Your Cellphone (US)  (Read 920 times)

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Starting Today, It's Illegal to Unlock Your Cellphone (US)
« on: January 28, 2013, 06:00:30 am »
Quote
You likely have a cellphone that you bought from a carrier, like AT&T, Verizon or Sprint, and that phone only works on that carrier's cellular and data network -- unless you "unlock" it.

That is a software process that allows the phone to work on other carriers if you put in a new SIM card or want to take the phone to another carrier for service.

If that sounds complicated to you and like something you wouldn't bother with, then today's news won't matter to you. But if that's something you've done before or have thought about doing, then you should know that starting today it is illegal to unlock a subsidized phone or tablet that's bought through a U.S. carrier.

Why now? Starting today, the U.S. Copyright Office and Library of Congress are no longer allowing phone unlocking as an exemption under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

You can read the full docket here but, in short, it is illegal to unlock a phone from a carrier unless you have that carrier's permission to do so. If you're wondering what this has to do with copyright, it turns out not much.

"It wasn't a good ruling," Rebecca Jeschke, a digital rights analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), told ABC News. "You should be able to unlock your phone. This law was meant to combat copyright infringement, not to prevent people to do what they want to do with the device they bought."

Of course, the carriers prefer the new rule because it ties your phone to their network. U.S. cellular carriers sell phones at a subsidized or discounted rate with a contract. You pay the network for service on a monthly basis and they give you the phone for a cheaper price than it actually is worth.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/now-illegal-unlock-cellphone/story?id=18319518

Offline GhostShip

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Re: Starting Today, It's Illegal to Unlock Your Cellphone (US)
« Reply #1 on: January 28, 2013, 09:55:03 am »
The obvious and somewhat childish flaw with this legislation is in failing to provide a legitimate method of unlocking the phone once your contract with a provider has run its course, I have to ask what sort of folks make these rules up when there are legitimate and clear exceptions not covered by it.

Thats not to say I dont think folks should stick to their contracts as the phone has to be paid for somehow but failing to outline the exception above makes me wonder are the politicians all asleep at the wheel or taking a fast buck.

Re: Starting Today, It's Illegal to Unlock Your Cellphone (US)
« Reply #2 on: January 28, 2013, 12:04:13 pm »
Government elcted by the people to serve the lobbyists, big business can buy a lot of lobby

Offline White Stripes

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Re: Starting Today, It's Illegal to Unlock Your Cellphone (US)
« Reply #3 on: January 28, 2013, 03:10:21 pm »
Quote
The obvious and somewhat childish flaw with this legislation is in failing to provide a legitimate method of unlocking the phone once your contract with a provider has run its course,

actually at&t allows this... whole process on how to do so on their website... granted the phone is long since 'obsolete' by the time its qualified for it...

but the law should have a 'standard' way to do it.. i agree..

Re: Starting Today, It's Illegal to Unlock Your Cellphone (US)
« Reply #4 on: January 28, 2013, 08:59:27 pm »
Should include the provider must facilitate the unlocking free of charge outside of contract. At least provide some protection for the people.

Offline Bluey_412

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Re: Starting Today, It's Illegal to Unlock Your Cellphone (US)
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2013, 11:44:46 pm »
Makes outright purchase of phones look pretty economical.

Look at a typical contract that includes say, a Samsung Galaxy S3, over the term of a 2-year contract, i have a paper here that says minimum cost $A1584, but i bought an SGS3 outright for $A505, run a pre-paid SIM and you wont go near $1500 over 2 years ($1,000 of phone usage), and you likely dont have to put up with all the carrier's add-on crap, AND you can flick that carrier's SIM any time you want if they dont perform
What you think is important is rarely urgent
But what you think is Urgent is rarely important

Just remember that...

WinMX World :: Forum  |  Discussion  |  WinMx World News  |  Starting Today, It's Illegal to Unlock Your Cellphone (US)
 

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