Topic 'Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight' in forum 'Security' - dslreports.com

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:30:23 EDT

anon posted : Why do we need the heavy hand of the Tyrant for this problem? Customers have contracts with their wireless providers; this is sufficient. The Tyrant makes so many laws that we have all become criminals!

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 02:18:36 EDT

avenison posted : @Kearnstd / LazMan: Yes, the cost to Apple is low, but if everyone involved was being fairly remunerated for the work being done that would not likely be the case. Personally I would be happy to pay $600 dollars for a device which is professionally manufactured by people who are not forced to work 18+ hour shifts, exposed to harmful chemicals to cut costs, and severely underpaid.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:51:13 EDT

Blogger posted :

said by Lagz:

One example is the AT&T upgrade fee, which is $36. Yes you can with some hassle get that removed, but the fee is still charged to your account. This fee is to help recover the cost of the phone. I know, I used to work for AT&T when it was Cingular back when they instituted this policy. That fee is rarely ever mention at the point of sale(at least not back then, nor this time when I was the buyer). This is one of many tactics that is used in order to recover the cost of the phone.

I've been with Verizon Wireless since their inception. I deal with them a lot online. They are all ways trying to get me to upgrade. I all most did it once about six months ago. I was going through the step by step process online---picking the phone, picking the plan, and so on. Screen after screen but...its not until the last screen the upgrade fee of $30 appears. Upgrade when I am doubling my bill with the new plan, plus forking over $250 plus bucks! Heck, it they are going to want that $30 dollars they should simply bury it somewhere the cost of the phone or some other way rather than saving it till the end and then insult me by not only charging it but hiding it until the very end of the order process.

I stopped the upgrade at that time just on principle and my indignation of the upgrade fee.
--
The signal is usually drowned out by the noise.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:25:09 EDT

Lagz posted : Oh looky, ya better get your phone now before carriers stop subsidizing. »AT&T Hints at Possible Handset Financing
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When somebody tells you nothing is impossible, ask him to dribble a football.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:05:10 EDT

djrobx posted :

I agree with you, but I'm not aware of any carrier that won't unlock a device after it's paid off... Rogers does it for free; TELUS charges $25 - dunno about Bell or any of the new entrants...

AT&T only recently started unlocking iPhones. iPhone users had no choice but to hack their phones if they wanted to unlock their phones for the previous 4 years, even if they were fully paid for.
--
AT&T U-Hearse - RIP Unlimited Internet 1995-2011
Rethink Billable.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:36:53 EDT

Lagz posted :

said by dave:

said by Lagz:

Management was literally creaming themselves from the thought of having increased sales due to stolen phones.

Literally? And you'd know this because you wash their underwear?

Well, it could have been my good looks.
--
When somebody tells you nothing is impossible, ask him to dribble a football.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:10:48 EDT

dave posted :

said by Lagz:

Management was literally creaming themselves from the thought of having increased sales due to stolen phones.

Literally? And you'd know this because you wash their underwear?

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:09:33 EDT

dave posted :

said by Kearnstd:

If I go into the Shop Rite and buy something not taxed(ie any normal food item.) I pay what it says on the shelf tag.

In the specific subject matter of this thread, this makes a poor analogy. This would be going into the supermarket and picking up the can opener that says "special, 1 cent for this electronic can opener that will only work on our baked beans, and you have to agree to buy our beans for a year". Then you attempt to modify the can opener to work with someone else's bean tins.

That this analogy sounds ridiculous is only due to the difference between hardware and software, and that supermarkets haven't yet figured out how to do lock-in.

I agree, however, that the general nature of "fees" is irritating as hell. I don't frigging care about how the store determines the final cost to me: I just want to know the final cost to me. It amounts to deceptive advertising to show a price that is not the price I pay.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 07:47:31 EDT

LazMan posted : Reported production cost on an iPhone 4s is a little over $130 usd; iPhone 5 is rumored to be in the $160-$170 range, with the bulk of the cost being the display/touch screen.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 06:40:14 EDT

Kearnstd posted : I think it was the CBS show 60 minutes that stated an iPhone costs Apple $8 to make. Which is not impossible considering the bulk they buy the materials in. I am guessing all phones are a similar or lower production cost. So there is some serious bucks being made in the world of phones and tablets.
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[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 05:29:35 EDT

avenison posted : A few things. Since Rogers was mentioned, glad to hear they allow users to unlock now, as they previously flat-out and absolutely refused. At the same time, I feel it is obvious that ANY charge for doing so (once the device is paid off) should be just as illegal as the user unlocking it.

@gozer, I believe I've seen it stated that many overseas countries have a fairly integrated system for blacklisting individual devices, but there is no such system in place in the Americas. I have worked for a large telco here, and at that time the technical staff could not even see the IMEI of a cutomer's current device, nevermind blocking one. In most cases the number wasn't manually logged on their account either, so unless they kept the original box there was no way to know the IMEI anyway. When a call was received about a lost phone, the procedure was to place a block on their subscription to prevent fraudulent charges, and inform them that we could not magically brick their device. There is no incentive for your provider to block your phone - it could still be used on any other network, so they might as well get the new owner's business... And sell you a new phone while they're at it. Many providers now provide location services so you can see where your device is, provided you installed the software before you lost it (and pay the monthly fees...) But how this would help if it's in someone's pocket is unclear.

Finally, we should try to keep in mind the people in the factories who are making these devices, and the questionable practices there. I have no problem believing that an iPhone or other modern device is actually worth the unsubsidized price, but I don't think it's overly cynical of me to doubt whether most of that money is going where it should.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 02:29:20 EDT

Juggernaut posted : Yep, there is no downside for them, merely more money. Until a inter-connected carrier blacklist is in place, only the dishonest win. And, they will have it unlocked, legal or not.
--
"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." ~ Albert Einstein

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 02:22:52 EDT

Lagz posted :

said by Juggernaut:

By the way, carriers have not implemented a blacklist for lost / stolen devices yet.

I remember when sim cards were first being discussed and implemented at AT&T, Cingular at the time. Management was literally creaming themselves from the thought of having increased sales due to stolen phones.
--
When somebody tells you nothing is impossible, ask him to dribble a football.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 02:19:26 EDT

Juggernaut posted : No one is going to call the police if you turn in a phone. Seriously. :uhh:

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 02:11:19 EDT

gozer posted : Yep they have just used the network lock. Like I said it just stops the average Joe from stealing your new phone and activating it on another network. And bad idea to take it to the network its locked to they would just call the cops on you. But I agree if the carriers would use a list and share it that would help.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 02:06:43 EDT

Juggernaut posted : By the way, carriers have not implemented a blacklist for lost / stolen devices yet.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 02:02:35 EDT

Juggernaut posted : That is precisely what I'm saying. It will work. Just because it is locked to a network doesn't mean a thing.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 01:55:39 EDT

gozer posted : I understand what you mean but try it with a stolen phone. Lets say you have Verizon and your friend has a not reported as stolen phone and you put your current account sim in yes it will work

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 01:33:33 EDT

Juggernaut posted : No, it's because the sim has encoding that matches the device's network, and hence, is called a 'network lock'.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 01:29:37 EDT

gozer posted : That is true the lock will allow a new sim as long as the new sim is the same carrier that has the lock in thier name. You say you can change the sim and then activate it on the same carrier that sold the phone. They can do this because they have the code to the lock.

The lock just keeps us law abiding people from activating a stolen phone. The change in the lock law is so we can actualy prosicute crooks that hack the lock and use a new sim. This is a good thing I dont know if it will help. Say you get a shinny new iphone5 and it gets ripped out of your car you are pissed but feel some joy because you know the guy cant use it. its locked and can only be used on where you got it from. Wrong the guy takes it to the small shop and he hacks the lock and can then put a new working sim in it. This is what the law is about the ability for police to put the guy that broke the law in jail.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 01:10:13 EDT

Juggernaut posted : BS.

If I find a device that is locked, and on my carrier, I can put my sim in and away I go. Full functionality.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 01:06:50 EDT

gozer posted : You guys are not understanding what this law is. A device that is unlocked is neccesary to change the sim card. Locking provents a phone thats stolen from you buying it and just changing the sim and activating it on any servive the phone supports. So its the unlocking when it involves a crime that now has teeth. this shouldnt afect paying customers at all. I know verizons policy is 60 days after a new contract you just ask to have it unlocked and a limit of one unlock every 6 months. Its free just ask

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:55:05 EDT

Juggernaut posted : Un-fees seem to be very popular with utility companies. They make boat loads of undeserved cash from them.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:48:09 EDT

Kearnstd posted : Fees are one of the biggest points of robbery in business, and there is no damn need for them.

If I go into the Shop Rite and buy something not taxed(ie any normal food item.) I pay what it says on the shelf tag.

The story they need fees to cover costs is complete bullshit. Supermarket covers its costs with the shelf prices, There is no "cashier check out fee." or "Deli slicing fee" the cost of the item is what it says on the tag.
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[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 23:35:51 EDT

norwegian posted :

said by dave:

The issue here seems to be that someone contracts for a given service with known restrictions for specific advantage ("you get this phone for cheap but it will only work on our service") and then subsequently decides that they don't wish to be bound by the terms that they agreed to.

You'd think contract law could fix that: simply write words into the contract that provide for adequate penalties.

That's what I can't understand, why is there a need to even be discussing this at all - bit late as a new law has been past.
I consider this all a non-event and a waste of funds for a new law really not required as you point out, it's a contract, which is black and white.

I could go tin foil and wonder on the long term reasons behind setting a new law in place but won't go there.
--
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 22:08:16 EDT

jp16 posted : Years ago I had a phone with AT&T. After my contract was up I called them and requested the unlock code. They took some information and within a few days I had the code emailed to me. They had no problem doing it for me. I would suspect that the same hold true today although I have not tried recently.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 20:59:30 EDT

Lagz posted :

said by LazMan:

said by Lagz:

Here's some numbers for you that won't just fly out of an ass.... I didn't specifically see you quote crap. Here in the US things are quite different than you describe.

I recently bought an HTC one X+ from AT&T. AT&T charges 199.99 with a contract and an ETC of $325. With fees and crap, that phone ended up costing $250 out of pocket directly from AT&T. Phone $250 + ETF $325 = $575. If we use what AT&T claims as the regular price, which is $549, then you can clearly see that if you buy the phone subsidized, then pay the ETF, you will end up paying more than the regular price AT&T claims the phone costs if you were to cancel.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 20:25:21 EDT

dave posted : The issue here seems to be that someone contracts for a given service with known restrictions for specific advantage ("you get this phone for cheap but it will only work on our service") and then subsquently decides that they don't wish to be bound by the terms that they agreed to.

You'd think contract law could fix that: simply write words into the contract that provide for adequate penalties. Since people already willingly sign up for draconian restrictions to get new shiny toys, a little more legal teeth probably won't hurt sales.

The outcome seems like it is predictable: either there will be physical differences that prevent software jail-breaking, or the era of the subsidized phone will die.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 18:58:34 EDT

LazMan posted :

said by Lagz:

199.99+325 = 524.99 by my math... "Fees and crap" aren't part of the phone price; that's part of the activation of the service - and you'd end up paying those even if you bought the phone outright...

$525 < $549 - it's not much of a discount, but it's still a bit of one...

We're getting bogged down in details here, though; and getting off on to a bit of a tangent - like I've said; I have no issue with the concept of the law (even though the punishments are inflated, and no doubt meant to scare people who run unlock businesses, rather then actual end users; and I have no idea where it honestly fits in to the DMCA) - but the idea behind it; that a phone is locked to the subsidizing carrier UNTIL the subsidy is paid out, I have no problem with...

But the flip side should be that when the subsidy is paid out, the phone is automatically unlocked at no charge to the end user...

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 18:23:01 EDT

carpetshark3 posted : I have done that. I bought a Nokia C6 - not sold in the US, and a Galaxy Apollo 3. Also not sold here. Worked right out of the box on TMO. I had a small data plan since both phones had wifi.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 16:23:55 EDT

sivran posted :

said by DarkSithPro:

said by sivran:

Contracts suck. Prepaid all the way. :D

Prepaid sucks. Shitty ass 3G network, throttled down speeds. Crappy 2 year old phones no one wants to choose from. No thanks...

I can use any GSM phone I want on TMo. I could go buy a Galaxy and use it on prepaid, assuming I wanted a phone with no keyboard.
--
Think Outside the Fox.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 14:22:36 EDT

Lagz posted :

said by LazMan:

Difference is, my numbers didn't come out of my ass... As I said earlier; the cell carriers get no great breaks in cost as compared to retail anymore; the iPhone was a game changer in that regard. You can say there's a 50% or better markup, but doesn't make it true...

Anyways...

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 14:06:28 EDT

anon posted : straight talk Iphone 5 best deal going once you pay for phone,financially speaking,depending on where you are which company you get for service

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 13:26:59 EDT

M A R S posted : Jailbreaking?

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 13:16:30 EDT

Snakeoil posted :

said by LazMan:

The lock is to prevent consumers from ripping off cell phone carriers...

Your handset is subsidized... To buy a iPhone 5 outright, for instance, is about $700 - not the $50 that your carrier charges you, when you sign up for a 3 year deal. They count on that 3 year period to recoup the subsidy. Once your contract is expired, some carriers automatically unlock it, some allow you to unlock it for free or a nominal ($20-25) fee.

There are some pretty assinine laws out there - this is one I kind of agree with... It's pretty unfair to expect someone else to pickup the bulk of the cost of your phone, don't you think? And just 'cause it's a big, faceless company, doesn't change the basic principal...

If you don't want your phone to be locked to a specific carrier, then pay full freight up front, and buy an unlocked one outright.

T-mo supposedly will stop subsidizing phones. Meaning you pay full cost for the phone up front. Which gets you lower rates on service plans supposedly.

I recall a discussion a while back, about how in many parts of the world, a person buys the phone, and takes it to the carrier of their choice.
That the way we do it in the us isn't that common.
As I am not a world traveler, I don't know how true that is. But I thought that was a nifty ability. To be able to buy what ever phone you wanted, then selecting the service provider you wanted.

--
Is a person a failure for doing nothing? Or is he a failure for trying, and not succeeding at what he is attempting to do? What did you fail at today?.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 12:12:19 EDT

Fickey posted :

said by DarkSithPro:

said by sivran:

Contracts suck. Prepaid all the way. :D

Prepaid sucks. Shitty ass 3G network, throttled down speeds. Crappy 2 year old phones no one wants to choose from. No thanks...

There's several GSM & CDMA MVNOs that allow you to "bring your own device", including brand new phones as long as they're not locked to another network & have a clean IMEI/MEID/ESN. Some may be limited to 3G, but not all.
--
Government controlled healthcare? Name one thing government does efficiently and effectively!

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 10:22:46 EDT

MaynardKrebs posted :

said by Juggernaut:

If you pay the device off, who cares? You have a right to have it unlocked, and the normal contract termination fee will apply anyway.

Not under US law.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 10:01:21 EDT

anon posted : The article is lacking pretty much all of the facts in the matter.

This is not a new law. The copyright office and library of congress changed their interpretation of the DMCA as it pertains to unlocking of phones.

The reason they can do that is the basis that the software on your phone is licensed and not sold. So by unlocking the phone you are altering the software without the copyright holder's permission. A shaky foundation and one I don't agree with.

What this means in theory is that anyone who unlocks their phone without their carrier's permission is open to a lawsuit, not jail.

The carriers have stated that they are not interested in suing individuals for unlocking but are more interesting in rings of individuals that buy subsidized phones here, unlock them and sell them in foreign countries. The cost in doing that is absorbed by all of us in our cell bills.

Further I have yet to find evidence that an individual case of unlocking has ever ended up in a lawsuit.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 08:30:17 EDT

LazMan posted : Difference is, my numbers didn't come out of my ass... As I said earlier; the cell carriers get no great breaks in cost as compared to retail anymore; the iPhone was a game changer in that regard. You can say there's a 50% or better markup, but doesn't make it true...

Anyways...

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 04:45:04 EDT

norwegian posted :
To everyone here - why does large corporations usually have politicians or ex-politicians on the board?
It's not over the quality of the product I can assure you.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 04:43:42 EDT

norwegian posted :

said by LazMan:

Difference is - if the carrier is subsidizing the phone, they are counting on x amount of revenue over the term of the contract to recoup the cost of the subsidy... Like I said - an iPhone 5 costs about $700 to buy outright, and $50 on a 3 year contract... the carrier is $650 in the hole on day 1. The ETFs (at least in Canada) are typically limited to about $200... So in theory, I buy a phone on contract monday for $50 - cancel it on Tuesday, and pay a $200 ETF - I'm still $450 ahead of the game; and the carrier is out $450 (they pay Apple/Samsung/HTC, etc for the device either way... Cost of acquisition is the term, and it's one of the biggest expenses carriers face)

I understand most of what is said, but as a consumer buying an iPhone for $700, general rule of thumb, 50% mark up applies to cover the man in the middle's business and profit, so reduce that to $350 for the cost initially.
If you are a big Telco buying in bulk, $100 at least would be wiped off the initial cost at least due to bulk buying, if not half of the initial $350, which would make it $175 for the cost of the $700 iPhone.
This isn't including the cost of manufacture, where you may find a realistic figure of $100 per phone could be possible.

Just putting in perspective the dollar figure here. Off the shelf cost to the consumer is considerably different from the factual cost of the phone.
These are not factual figures, but the general public can be blinded to what real term figures of the phone they buy is.
That goes for most products give or take a few percentage points. The end user doesn't think too much about this when the "newest and greatest" is forced upon them before Xmas.

This would then theoretically put the termination charge equal to costs and a few dollars for profit. Most will not go the path of unlocking and will be sucked dry by the 2 yr/$50/mth fees for the phone.
That makes $1200 for a $200 phone over a 2 year period.
I'd love to see those profits for any company I worked for.
Down Under we are charged extra for phone contracts, from $20 to $80 for phone calls on top.
I'm not sure what you see there.

Quite differing figures to your initial theories quoted here for a handful who might consider being smart about the money they spend.
Nothing illegal in that from where I sit.

On those figures the law is for the corporations to protect very high profit margins, not take care of the end users, who spent the money and want a phone that works and a service.
Microsoft on the other hand charges extra for service outside of the US, does it not?
Beautiful example of fund raising.

There is a vastly differing cost to margin most people do not see, and an employee saying this would be sacked and or sued depending on the cost to the corporation from those words.
Laws are in place to cover the corporation here too, not the person who sees a company ripping blind the general public.
--
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:15:37 EDT

redxii posted : [nm -- long post about rooting and probably isn't the same thing]

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 00:52:43 EDT

DarkSithPro posted :

said by sivran:

Contracts suck. Prepaid all the way. :D

Prepaid sucks. Shitty ass 3G network, throttled down speeds. Crappy 2 year old phones no one wants to choose from. No thanks...

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 00:37:28 EDT

sivran posted : Contracts suck. Prepaid all the way. :D

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 00:16:37 EDT

broccoli posted :

said by LazMan:

I agree with you, but I'm not aware of any carrier that won't unlock a device after it's paid off... Rogers does it for free; TELUS charges $25 - dunno about Bell or any of the new entrants...

Mobilicity and Wind phones are sold locked and unsubsidized, and they would not unlock them even if you don't mind paying for the privilege.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 00:10:11 EDT

OZO posted :

said by LazMan:

Your handset is subsidized... To buy a iPhone 5 outright, for instance, is about $700 - not the $50 that your carrier charges you, when you sign up for a 3 year deal. They count on that 3 year period to recoup the subsidy. Once your contract is expired, some carriers automatically unlock it, some allow you to unlock it for free or a nominal ($20-25) fee.

There are some pretty assinine laws out there - this is one I kind of agree with...

Wait a sec. How the law prohibiting unlocking phones could help here?

Here is scenario that you've mentioned.

One signs a contract, gets his phone (accordingly to your example for, cost $650 for carrier) and next day he breaks the contract, pays ETF and, without unlocking the phone, sells it on eBay? Should he be sued by carrier and pay $2,500 or go to jail for that? And how the new law, prohibiting unlocking phones, could help in this case? I'm asking because I smell absurd here...
--
Keep it simple, it'll become complex by itself...

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 23:50:36 EDT

ashrc4 posted : As we know there are all walks of life but who is this law going to target the most.....not those that can afford to avoid it.
A minimum fine of $2500 means those that can't afford to stick to a contract for a year or two will just be penalized further.
Company's that can't recoup their losses shouldn't be sucking in on one hand and crying foul on the other.
A more reasonable solution to providing access to a cell needs to be thought up and consumer rights to such should be offered not the other way around.
--
Paradigm Shift beta test pilot. "Dying to defend one's small piece of suburb...Give me something global...STAT!

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 23:48:24 EDT

LazMan posted :

said by OZO:

Then why they don't set ETF accordingly to the phone price? Why do they need a new law now? Is it because they could be out of $450?

And BTW, they don't pay $650 to Apple/Samsung/HTC, etc for the phone as you, the individual consumer, may pay on the market. So, the cost, that you've mentioned here, is highly exaggerated.

And finally, you have explained why we have to worry about corporations and their profits and why someone (not me) needs a new law, that could punish consumer even further. Now tell me, where is the "copyright" infringement here and how it's related to DMCA?

To answer your points in order:

I think they should - once the subsidy has been repaid, I think the phone should automatically be unlocked, at no charge.

The wholesale and retails cost for the handsets isn't much different - Apple and Samsung in particular, know consumers want specific handsets, more then they want a specific carrier - hell, carriers have been known to pay Apple MILLIONS to be the first to carry the iPhone in a given market... It used to be the other way 'round, that the carriers had power over the handset producers, but thanks to Apple and the iPhone, it doesn't work like that anymore.

I won't pretend to understand the DMCA, and the ever growing range of things it covers... I said I get this particualr law, strictly from an economics point of view... How does it fit under the copyright act? No eff'ing clue.

Re: Jailbreaking cell phones to become ILLEGAL at midnight

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 23:44:09 EDT

Juggernaut posted : Yep, it's hard to keep up these days, no foul man. Quebec has totally different rules to boot.

My point was, if the device is paid for, why should they refuse to unlock it? They have their pound of flesh.

It's just greed, and nastiness after that.
--
"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." ~ Albert Einstein