DMCA - Old Heads (not the good kind) removing legality of phone unlocks

[Binge]

I was reading an article on Mashable.  It made me pretty upset to see that the issue of Cellphone unlocks are covered under DMCA.

DMCA and a number of content protections are all blindly reaching into the dark to stop the loss of profit, and in turn create a negative environment for everyone except the seasoned thief.

Link to the infuriating article:  http://mashable.com/2013/01/23/unlocking-cellphones-illegal/

**FIXED**

[daerid]

It's "DMCA", and yes... this is bull****.

[Lanx]

lol
" Verizon's iPhone 5 comes out of the box already unlocked"

only verizon can use the iphone anyway no other company can with that cdma technology.

[daerid]

only verizon can use the iphone anyway no other company can with that cdma technology.

What the heck are you talking about? You can use the iPhone 4S/5 on Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. Hell, you can even use it on T-Mobile (since it uses the same bands as AT&T).

[alaricljs]

He's saying Verizon's iPhone being unlocked is pointless since Verizon is the only one on that band.  There are 2 different hardware versions of the iPhone, 1 verizon, 1 every one else.

[Jocelyn]

Much better write up of this story - http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/01/25/carrier-unlocking-smartphones-will-be-illegal-tomorrow-heres-how-and-if-it-affects-you/

[daerid]

He's saying Verizon's iPhone being unlocked is pointless since Verizon is the only one on that band.  There are 2 different hardware versions of the iPhone, 1 verizon, 1 every one else.

And I'm saying not since the 4 has that been true. The 4S/5 can be used on any of the networks that I mentioned, same phone, same hardware.

[alaricljs]

Don't follow Apple, so I dunno.  But that IS what HE said

[Binge]

Corrected the op... I feel the fool.

The iPhone 5 ships to all carriers carrier unlocked?  That's a bold thing for apple to be able to do.  My previous work with Verizon lead me to understand that Apple already asks a lot of the providers, and to give people unlocked phones on contract is pretty wild.

[Leslieann]

It's about unlocking a phone that is still on contract.

While on contract where you got the phone for cheap, you do not actually own the phone, so this isn't that unreasonable.
You can still root, and you can still unlock it once your contract is finished. It's not that big of a deal really.

[Binge]

It's about unlocking a phone that is still on contract.

While on contract where you got the phone for cheap, you do not actually own the phone, so this isn't that unreasonable.
You can still root, and you can still unlock it once your contract is finished. It's not that big of a deal really.

So... let me get this straight.  If you cancel your contract and pay your early term then you can legally unlock the phone?  Isn't it already illegal to leave a contract without paying the early term?

What problem does this solve and who does this hurt?

It hurts the user who wants to get a decent phone at a reasonable price and use it to do more than just national calls.

Say I go to Germany with my Verizon world phone.. I'm 1 year into my contract.  I do not like Verizon's prices to use the phone in Germany, so I unlock the phone and keep my verizon contract while using a pre-paid german sim-card.  I'm not ending my contract, but I am using the one phone to make calls to Germany while in Germany using a German service.

This would make that course of action illegal... what a joke.

[Leslieann]

So... let me get this straight.  If you cancel your contract and pay your early term then you can legally unlock the phone?  Isn't it already illegal to leave a contract without paying the early term?

What problem does this solve and who does this hurt?

It hurts the user who wants to get a decent phone at a reasonable price and use it to do more than just national calls.

Say I go to Germany with my Verizon world phone.. I'm 1 year into my contract.  I do not like Verizon's prices to use the phone in Germany, so I unlock the phone and keep my verizon contract while using a pre-paid german sim-card.  I'm not ending my contract, but I am using the one phone to make calls to Germany while in Germany using a German service.

This would make that course of action illegal... what a joke.

Exactly.
However, I suspect carriers might still let you do it, just you would need their permission.

Personally, I'd unlock it myself and tell them where to go, it's almost completely unenforceable.