Reminder: Unlocking Cell Phones Becomes Illegal this Week

[Jazzy]

We've always had our concerns about the ridiculous DMCA exemptions process concerning circumvention of digital locks. If you don't know, the DMCA has a strict anti-circumvention rule, that says breaking digital locks such as DRM, is itself a violation of copyright law, even if the purpose of the lock-breaking does not infringe on anyone's copyright.



As a sort of pressure valve every three years, people can apply to the Librarian of Congress for exemptions to that rule.



This, of course, is completely ridiculous and backwards. We need to apply, once every three years, to use legally purchased products the way we want to without it being considered illegal? That's crazy. But it's the way things are set up, and it can lead to some bizarre scenarios.



As we explained last year when the latest round of exemptions was announced, the Librarian of Congress took away the exemption for unlocking your phone... but provided a 90 day window.



That window ends on Sunday. In other words, unlocking your phone on Saturday: legal. Unlocking your phone on Sunday: you probably just broke the law.

Full article



Thoughts?

 

[Flurry]

Riiiiiiiiiiiight. How stupid. People are gonna do it regardless of whether or not its illegal. Good luck in enforcing this. How are they gonna know anyway if someone did this?

 

[Jazzy]

I agree with you Sci.

 

[Evil Eye]

Maybe they could force companies to keep track of these things

Seems far fetched, though.