its illegal to unlock your cellphone

[Drungan]

As it is here in Denmark you buy a new phone with pretty much any major company you choose if you want to pay full price for it or get it cheap ...the discounted price *cost* that you need to stay with that company and use the phone on there net ( if possible ) the next 6-24 months depending on the amount you pay for it ... after this you can get the phone unlocked at there store for free.

This seems 100% fair to me ... im guessing it is about the same in other countries ? .... if so whats the deal ? .. want to use the phone with another company just pay the full price.

[Masark]

As it is here in Denmark you buy a new phone with pretty much any major company you choose if you want to pay full price for it or get it cheap ...the discounted price *cost* that you need to stay with that company and use the phone on there net ( if possible ) the next 6-24 months depending on the amount you pay for it ... after this you can get the phone unlocked at there store for free.

This seems 100% fair to me ... im guessing it is about the same in other countries ? .... if so whats the deal ? .. want to use the phone with another company just pay the full price.

Much the same, except the last bit, where they can tell you to go pound sand if you want the phone unlocked after the contract is up.

[Tinykong]

This really sounds like a strong-arm by the cell carriers to force people into buying new phones. I don't know about most people, but I've found that my phone is now greatly outlasting my plan. Used to be you had to replace your phone every year or two years because it would break or be greatly outdated. My wife's old iPhone 4 from ~3 years ago is still going strong, and probably won't need to be replaced until the battery stops accepting a charge, or she breaks it.

[Shyzhi]

Imo i spent X amount of money on my phone, i OWN that phone i do what i want with it. If they dont want me to do it give me one for free so they own it. They wont so its mine i do what i want and no one can stop me.

[fengosa]

I think people are really missing the point of this law. It greatly deters theft because other carriers won't take on those phones and the original carrier will figure out its stolen.

If you have concerns about it talk to your carrier and find out what the restrictions are unsubsidized phones before rushing to jusgement.

[Dald]

My phone came unlocked from the phone company store.

[Raybourne]

once you buy it, it's yours. the government shouldn't be allowed to intrude on your own property.

[Lagwin]

I think people are really missing the point of this law. It greatly deters theft because other carriers won't take on those phones and the original carrier will figure out its stolen.

That's pretty much what i think it's aimed at...in the UK the number of people mugged for their phones is mental and the thief can then go somewhere to get it unlocked the sell it on...so any deterrent is a good thing.

[RoKPaNda]

What I'm getting out of this is that you can still unlock your phone, you just need your phone's service provider to do it for you or the company that manufactures it. Unlocking your phone isn't illegal, circumventing measures to prevent you from unlocking your phone is illegal. Plus you can still buy unlocked phones. This really only seems to apply to people who buy locked phones as part of a contract and those phones have security measures that attempt to prevent people from unlocking the phone.

Not that this is going to stop anyone that is determined to unlock their phone mind you.

[Bigsilly]

I don't think it will be long before corporations have more rights and protections than people.

Corporate entities have the same rights as people, they just have more influence due to time and money.

[fengosa]

Imo i spent X amount of money on my phone, i OWN that phone i do what i want with it. If they dont want me to do it give me one for free so they own it. They wont so its mine i do what i want and no one can stop me.

If its unsubsidized phone then yes you own it but copyright law still applies to the SW on the phone needed to connect to your cell network. It isn't as simple as you make it out to be.

---------- Post added 2013-02-15 at 10:07 PM ----------

once you buy it, it's yours. the government shouldn't be allowed to intrude on your own property.

Cell phones use networks which aren't owned by the public and the fed undoubtedy has the right to regulate interstate commerce as stated in the constitution.

[Masark]

I think people are really missing the point of this law. It greatly deters theft because other carriers won't take on those phones and the original carrier will figure out its stolen.

If you think that has anything to do with this, I have this wonderful bridge you may be interested in.

[timelord]

The problem is the entire subsidized smartphone model that shackles customers to carriers for two years and unreasonable prices to on top of it.

[Prokne]

I think people are really missing the point of this law. It greatly deters theft because other carriers won't take on those phones and the original carrier will figure out its stolen.

If you have concerns about it talk to your carrier and find out what the restrictions are unsubsidized phones before rushing to jusgement.

That could be a side effect but its not the reason why the law was interpreted this way. (Actually adding another violation on top of cell phone theft probably wouldnt do much at all)

"The online tech news site says Billington is responsible for interpreting the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and that he decided in the fall that unlocking phones would violate the law that was intended to fight digital piracy."

The guy doesnt want people to be able to unlock their phone to use it on a "pirate cell phone service" where you can easily share files and copyrighted goods. I dont even know if this kind of thing exists but if it does it should be much easier to stop the few pirate cell phone services than millions of individual phones.

As it is here in Denmark you buy a new phone with pretty much any major company you choose if you want to pay full price for it or get it cheap ...the discounted price *cost* that you need to stay with that company and use the phone on there net ( if possible ) the next 6-24 months depending on the amount you pay for it ... after this you can get the phone unlocked at there store for free.

This seems 100% fair to me ... im guessing it is about the same in other countries ? .... if so whats the deal ? .. want to use the phone with another company just pay the full price.

The deal is basically "you get $100 off the phone and you have to buy service from the carrier for 2 years." It doesnt mean you have to use that service, just pay for it. So IMO if you are still paying for the service you can do whatever you want with the phone since its still yours. If you cancel your service before the 2 years is up, you will have to pay a surcharge more than the discount you had on the phone.

Using your cellphone to violate copyright is already illegal.
Unlocking your phone is much more likely to be done for legitimate purposes. This ruling is trying to use a sledgehammer to kill an ant.

[Tinykong]

The guy doesnt want people to be able to unlock their phone to use it on a "pirate cell phone service" where you can easily share files and copyrighted goods. I dont even know if this kind of thing exists but if it does it should be much easier to stop the few pirate cell phone services than millions of individual phones.[COLOR="red"]

A pirate cell phone network sounds like some nonsense jargon from The Matrix.

[Vegas82]

Nothing wrong with protecting against piracy. Jailbreaking a phone is the primary way to allow it to access pirated software/video. There are also a number of phones that you can take to another carrier w/o a jail break.

[Prokne]

A pirate cell phone network sounds like some nonsense jargon from The Matrix.

The article in the thread discussing this a while ago explains it better.

http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/1255875-Unlocking-Smartphones-to-Become-Illegal-Jan-26?highlight=unlock+cell+phone

You cant unlock your cellphone because it can disable copyright protection when used on another carrier. It still is extreme for something that is done mostly for legal purposes and that the person owns. Violating copyrights is already illegal. Its like making Xerox machines illegal because they can copy books which are copyrighted.

[Tinykong]

The article in the thread discussing this a while ago explains it better.

http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/1255875-Unlocking-Smartphones-to-Become-Illegal-Jan-26?highlight=unlock+cell+phone

You cant unlock your cellphone because it can disable copyright protection when used on another carrier. It still is extreme for something that is done mostly for legal purposes and that the person owns. Violating copyrights is already illegal. Its like making Xerox machines illegal because they can copy books which are copyrighted.

Kind of funny that the legislation doesn't even understand the technology. My phone is unlocked, but it won't run pirated software. I have another phone that isn't unlocked, but will run pirated software.

[Prokne]

Kind of funny that the legislation doesn't even understand the technology. My phone is unlocked, but it won't run pirated software. I have another phone that isn't unlocked, but will run pirated software.

Well the law doesnt state cell phones just using a technology to violate copyright protection. The 83 year old guy who runs the Library of Congress(very unqualified in this case) interpreted it to mean cell phones.

If you want to slap on an extra charge for using an unlocked phone to steal stuff thats fine but fining someone for unlocking their phone, which they own, so they can use it on Verizon when they bought it from AT&T should not happen.

They probably should have had someone with experience in the law like the Attorney General interpret the laws instead of a librarian. Its like the patent office enforcing the patents they give out.

[Masark]

Well the law doesnt state cell phones just using a technology to violate copyright protection. The 83 year old guy who runs the Library of Congress(very unqualified in this case) interpreted it to mean cell phones.

The old guy doesn't interpret anything. What he gets to do is issue exemptions to the law, which he did previously for unlocking cellphones, but for whatever reason, he decided to allow the existing exemption to expire.