If you bought a locked cell phone after January 26th, you cannot unlock it by your own means. While the Digital Millennium Copyright Act didn’t change, the Library of Congress clarified a provision in it. The effect: only your carrier can unlock your phone. The LoC rule essentially says that since alternatives to carrier-locked phones exist on the marketplace, consumers shouldn’t have the ability to unlock carrier-locked phones. It really sounds like hogwash.
If you think it seems odd that phone unlocking falls under a copyright act, you’re not alone. For the most part, users don’t unlock their phones with the intent to infringe on copyright. They’re unlocking them for the purpose of using the phones on other networks. It appears at least one member of Congress has taken up that point.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) yesterday proposed the Unlocking Technology Act of 2013. While there are a few provisions in it, the main one involves amending the first paragraph of the DCMA to say:
“It shall not be a violation of this section to circumvent a technological measure in connection with a work protected under this title if the purpose of such circumvention is to engage in a use that is not an infringement of copyright under this title.”
It seems reasonable, but that means little when big telecom has such a powerful lobbying force in DC. Big carriers prefer that users purchase phones from them, not because the carriers make much money from new phone purchases (they don’t), but because new phone purchases lock customers into two-year contracts. Additionally, customers will tend to unlock phones from major carriers and bring them to smaller carriers, usually on a prepaid basis.
There is no timeline on when the House will vote on this bill, but I honestly wouldn’t expect much. It’s a noble effort that could crumble under pressure from DC insiders.
Via Phone Scoop.
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