Obama Signs Cell Phone Unlocking Bill Into Law, iPhone Unlocking No Longer Illegal

[joejoejoe]

the question remains, how long until I can easily unlock my phone?

 

[Macboy Pro]

Really?

The ONLY thing?

Well, he has improved his golf game at our expense. Other than that, he has been an unbelivable disaster. Maybe the worst "leader" the WORLD has ever seen.

 

[xmichaelp]

He wasn't criticizing the Affordable Healthcare Act. He was criticizing people who think President Obama is the chosen one. Since you mentioned it, that's wonderful for your nephew.. but as someone born was a heart defect, my treatment and care have gotten much more difficult since my fantastic healthcare plan was phased out in response to the AFA. It hasn't been great for all of us. I'm not spewing any sort of partisan dogma, just sharing my own experience. It's a step in the right direction, but we've still got a long ways to go.

Who exactly think he's the chosen one? I don't think even most liberals are all that satisfied with him. We're just sick of the petty anti-Obama crap acting like he's the worst president ever or he hasn't "done anything".

The extreme opinions of him both ways are annoying.

 

[Macboy Pro]

This and Bin Laden.

Our military got bin laden, Obama just got the front row seat.

 

[joejoejoe]

This is the only good thing he has done in his Presidency.

Hell yea!!! I agree 110%. But others sadly believe he's God.

Have you guys seen how well the economy is doing?

 

[gnasher729]

Why did the Copyright Office reverse their earlier exceptions for smartphones?

The Copyright Office cannot change laws. But with the DMCA act, they were given the right to state certain exceptions. Quite obviously, you don't want _any_ exceptions in a law. But there will be good reasons to have exceptions. You may not allow any dogs in a butcher's shop - but you make an exception for blind people with guide dogs.

An exception was made for phone unlocking, because it was felt that people should be able to have unlocked phones, and all phones were sold locked, so to have an unlocked phone you had to buy a locked one and unlock it. That changed. Some companies started selling unlocked phones. So if you wanted an unlocked phone, you could get one by buying an unlocked phone, instead of buying a locked phone and unlocking it. So there was less need for an exception, and the exception was removed.

But since there was still a strong opinion that it should be legal to unlock phones, there is something much better now: Instead of having a law which makes it illegal to unlock phones (the law doesn't say it's illegal to unlock phones, but it describes activities that are illegal, and unlocking a phone matches that description), and the Copyright Office using its right to make an exception, the law was changed and it is now _legal_.

 

[trrosen]

Title incorrect

Unlocking will not be legal until the next review in July 2015.

 

[xmichaelp]

Too bad Bush didn't give the command to get that S.O.B. instead...now he has two good things to be remembered for.

Oh what a tragedy, he's going to be remembered for something positive. You sound like the GOP, who would rather see the world burn just for spite because they're not in office.

 

[Macboy Pro]

Can't understand why this was ever illegal... Land of the free my arse

Yea, I am surprised it wasn't free at least for the folks on the US government dole in order the be "fair". That would include about 60% of the US and 25% of Mexico.

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Hell yea!!! I agree 110%. But others sadly believe he's God.

On the side note, this restores things exactly how they were prior to Jan. 2013, correct? The freaking phone should not have to be paid off to be unlocked. The consumer should be able to unlock it when he damn well feels like it. It's HIS phone.

Well, now that carriers have things like the NEXT plan, i agree. Before, the phone was paid for primarily by the carrier and therefore they lock the phone to hold it as callateral until the agreement is fulfilled.

 

[gnasher729]

The law doesn't really change anything. Unlocking without your carrier consent was technically "illegal" but yet there were tons of websites and eBay sellers openly advertising device unlocks. I can't recall any of them ever being prosecuted for it. For those who were getting their devices unlocked by their carriers anyway, it changes nothing. This is just a mere formality.

I don't know how you feel about it, but if someone tries to set up things so that it is illegal for me to do something that I want to do, then I feel quite pissed off about it. For example if I'm offered an eBook with DRM, and to read it on the device I want to read it on I have to break the law, even if I know how to do it, I'm not going to buy that eBook.

 

[krravi]

Only thing I support Obama on so far, remember guys, HE didn't kill Bin Laden, Seal Team 6 did.

And yet Carter took the blame for the botched operation by the seals during the Iran hostage crisis... what a shame eh?

 

[Macboy Pro]

Have you guys seen how well the economy is doing?

Yea, the worst recovery since the 1930's.

One good thing president Obama acomplished was that he has proven beyond ANY doubt that left wing tax and spend economics do not work. Most of us who fund this country knew that long ago by watching the USSR collapse.

 

[gnasher729]

Don’t be so ridiculous, If you sign up to a contract then abide by it!

Actually... no. When there is a contract between two parties, where one party has significantly more power or experience or knowledge than the other party, especially if the contract is offered with no possibility of negotiation, then terms in the contract set by the more powerful party are often considered void.

 

[japanime]

This cell phone unlocking crap never meant squat to me. Wanna know why? Because they're my devices and I'll do what I damn well please with them.

I see you are from Indiana, one of the states that gets more Federal handout dollars than it pays in Federal taxes. That means the government owns YOU, and it will do what it damn well pleases with you.

 

[BigHonkingDeal]

Very well put!

You should get out of the right wing media bubble. There are legitimate reasons to be critical of this president, but you won't hear any of them on right wing media, because they largely approve of those activities.

The stuff they rant on and on about is dishonest, disingenuous, made up or otherwise incongruent with truth and reality.

President Obama is a flawed president, but a huge improvement over the deeply fraudulent and criminal, never truly elected cheney/bush regime.

 

[Chatter]

HE'S THE MOST RADICAL LEFTIST PRESIDENT EVER!!!! KENYAN MUSLIM MARXIST SOCIALIST TERRORIST!!!!!

a

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You had me up until the Palin "lamestream" reference. I thought you were my mom for a second.

Not sure what to make of that (!) but lets just hope that you and your mom have a fun time together doing / discussing whatever makes you both happy.

 

[charlituna]

It's legal, but still a possible warranty void depending on how it's done. Law doesn't change that.

 

[Sylon]

I didn't even know it was illegal.




Oops

 

[thebeans]

Ummm....No...

Hell yea!!! I agree 110%. But others sadly believe he's God.

On the side note, this restores things exactly how they were prior to Jan. 2013, correct? The freaking phone should not have to be paid off to be unlocked. The consumer should be able to unlock it when he damn well feels like it. It's HIS phone.

I hope you are not serious. It is not your phone until you finish paying for it by completing your contract. THEN it is your phone.

 

[Judas1]

Damn, Obama doing a good thing for consumers started a firestorm of hate here. Do all you haters ever wonder if you might be part of the problem in America? Politicians can so easily divide you solely for their own benefit, not for the people. So check yourself in the mirror and ask if you are quick to side with one party over another no matter the issue at hand.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Err... Are you that dense? (Must be given your LOL!)

1) I said election year politics, I didn't say Presidential election year politics. There IS an election this year and, since you don't understand how Bills reach a president's desk, both the House and Senate must each pass it first. All of the House and 1/3 of the Senate is up for election this year. They are in on this too.

2) The President, as leader of his party, wants to do what he can to help his party win as many seats as possible.

Here's how it works since you clearly don't understand politics:

Dem Senate passes a Cell Phone Unlock bill. Check.

House passes a Cell Unlock bill. Check.

President pocket vetos Cell Unlock bill.

What happens next...

GOP is all over the news programs "we passed a bipartisan bill and the President sat on it." GOP then continues on to nationalize the mid-term elections.

You see in U.S. politics the "in" party -- that would be the Dems right now -- want to localize elections while the "out" party -- that would be the Reps right now -- want to nationalize the elections, make it about the (whoever is) President and his "failed" policies.

So yes, Obama is part of the mix, along with the House and Senate who passed the Bill for the President to sign.

Instead Obama signs Bill with lots of hoopla and he is a hero! Win for every D. Nothing for Rs.

Gd it's scary how uneducated some people are but like to LOL! at other posts because they think they are the smartest in the room.

Are you that dense? This bill all started as a result of a petition on the president's website (which I signed) and the president's agreement to take on the issue. No one sited cell phone unlocking as a top campaign issue for them or even in the top 5 or 10 issues of the day. So you can take your narrow minded view elsewhere in particular when it is not informed by the facts as is the case here.

Dont confuse your own stupidity with your unfounded assumption that I think I'm smarter than everyone else. Your stupid post deserved the patronizing response I gave to it.

 

[Glideslope]

"What country ever existed a century and a half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve it's liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it's natural manure."

- Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith, Paris, 13 Nov. 1787

 

[MacVista]

Actually, it was the analyst who combed through the surveillance/satellite images and noticed "the Pacer."

So he did not do it himself !? I thought he did it.. Darn! No credit for O.

 

[CEmajr]

I don't know how you feel about it, but if someone tries to set up things so that it is illegal for me to do something that I want to do, then I feel quite pissed off about it. For example if I'm offered an eBook with DRM, and to read it on the device I want to read it on I have to break the law, even if I know how to do it, I'm not going to buy that eBook.

Oh I agree that it should have never been illegal in the first place, I'm just saying that it was one of those things that was "illegal" that was never enforced or taken seriously by anyone. People continued using 3rd party unlocking services just like they normally did and continue to do now. Websites and even cell phone vendors in malls openly offered 3rd party unlocks.

eBooks and DRM are different as those are copyright laws that have known to have been enforced on occasion. You don't see a guy selling copyrighted eBooks in the mall.

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the question remains, how long until I can easily unlock my phone?

The same as you could yesterday. This law doesn't make it easier nor harder to unlock your phone.

 

[Swordylove]

It shouldn't only be legal to unlock phones, but it should be illegal to lock phones!

p/s: What's with the new smilies? :/