| FWIW, you may want to be aware of the potentially very serious legal trouble you could risk exposing yourself to by modifying the product ID.
Here in the US, it would constitute a violation of the DMCA (H.R.2281, Sec. 1201, Circumvention of copyright protection systems), as the product ID controls access to code that the device owner has not been licensed to use with the device as sold by its manufacturer. I'm not familiar with the laws in Canada, but the US DMCA is part of a wider international treaty known as WIPO, which Canada is also a signator of. It is therefore very likely that the same, or similar laws apply there as well.
Furthermore, modifying the product ID and distributing the device as an -NA, also falls into the realm of counterfeiting, with very severe penalties here in the US (10-20 years in jail). Again, counterfeiting laws are very similar in most western countries, and are the result of international treaties. Even if the laws happened to be more liberal up north of the border, if you plan on exporting/distributing any such modified devices to the US, you effectively become bound by and subject to US law.
Note that Cisco/Linksys do not seem to have bothered legally persuing any such cases todate. However, there's nothing to stop them, should they choose to, as our current laws give them every right to. And even if Cisco/Linksys don't bother persuing any legal action, there are several other parties with intellectual property rights in the firmware of these devices, who could if so inclined.
I don't mean to scare you--just pointing out the potential risks that you could expose yourself to. If you're just doing it for personal use, there's probably little to worry about. However, should you plan on distributing such modified devices, it may be in your best interest and peace of mind to first consult with a lawyer versed in such legal matters. |
| I agree. But if you are not for the reason to make money and you play with it, I think it is OK for the testing purpose. There is nothing legal as to program third party firmware. Or modify the NA to program on an non-NA router. Saying that everything sold on eBay saying UNLOCKED is somewhat questioned. |
