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Jailbreaking iPhone Now Legal

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the wait-for-the-appeal dept.

whisper_jeff writes "The US government on Monday announced new rules making it officially legal for iPhone owners to 'jailbreak' their device and run unauthorized third-party applications, as well as the ability to unlock any cell phone for use on multiple carriers." The EFF has further details on this and some of the other legal protections granted in the new rules.

3 of 423 comments (clear)

  1. Distribution of jailbreaking tools still illegal by Lyrrad · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Note that the Librarian of Congress Rulemaking provision only exempts the circumvention provisions of the DMCA. The Librarian cannot exempt individuals from the distribution provisions of the DMCA.

    So, while you can now legally jailbreak your phone, it would still be illegal to distribute the software program itself.

  2. Re:hooray by halfEvilTech · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Now make it so that performing this act does not void your warranty as well and I would be a happy camper. Or at least make it so that if the carrier then bricks your device on purpose to get those unlocked devices out of the market be liable to replace it.

  3. Does this mean... by ceraphis · · Score: 4, Interesting

    That Apple isn't allowed to do anything warranty-wise if you jailbreak your iphone in the future? Could they refuse to replace a broken glass screen if they find out your iphone is or was ever jailbroken, JUST BECAUSE it was jailbroken?

    Otherwise I don't see any implications for the end user. It's not like if you went into an Apple store with a jailbroken iphone the authorities were called to arrest you. Also, the people involved in the jailbreak process haven't exactly been trying to hide their work, they even have videos of them in the process.