To me this is very simple. The companies saw an opportunity to use an outdated law to their advantage. The fact that you could do jailtime for it is absurd.
Simply put this is to make it harder for people to switch between phone contracts by swapping sim cards. Whether this is for international use (all companies have an addon fee for international use which they would then loose out on) or you just want to be able to have a different number on the same phone. The bottom line is that it's about money, plain and simple.
The problem is that it infringes on peoples rights. If you sign a contract stating that you will not unlock the phone during the the contract period then whev, they don't need to use a this law to sue you. But if you are criminally charged for modifying your own property (whether you are still under contract or not), that is bullshit. What if I bought a car and put new rims on it before I had it paid off?
My guess is that if there is enough complaining then the companies will start allowing you to unlock the phones but only by them and for a stupid price. They will get their money however they can, and if they can't then they will ask the government for some help lol
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To me this is very simple. The companies saw an opportunity to use an outdated law to their advantage. The fact that you could do jailtime for it is absurd. Simply put this is to make it harder for people to switch between phone contracts by swapping sim cards. Whether this is for international use (all companies have an addon fee for international use which they would then loose out on) or you just want to be able to have a different number on the same phone. The bottom line is that it's about money, plain and simple. The problem is that it infringes on peoples rights. If you sign a contract stating that you will not unlock the phone during the the contract period then whev, they don't need to use a this law to sue you. But if you are criminally charged for modifying your own property (whether you are still under contract or not), that is bullshit. What if I bought a car and put new rims on it before I had it paid off? My guess is that if there is enough complaining then the companies will start allowing you to unlock the phones but only by them and for a stupid price. They will get their money however they can, and if they can't then they will ask the government for some help lol