Full FeedApple says iPhone jailbreaking is illegal
Apple has decided that it’s not only unsupported, but also illegal, to jailbreak your iPhone. Don’t worry yet, though. As of right now, only Apple supports this notion, so unless they hire iCops with real power to arrest, you’ll be safe with your haxx0red iPhone or iPod touch.
It all began with the EFF, Electronic Frontier Foundation, filing a request with the U.S Copyright Office to exempt “computer programs that enable wireless telephone handsets to execute lawfully obtained software applications, where circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of enabling interoperability of such applications with computer programs on the telephone handset” from being considered copyright infringement. In other words, they want jailbroken phones to be considered perfectly fine to have around, because it makes “interoperability” easier by allowing for things not allowed with the iPhone SDK, such as copy and paste, simultaneously running applications, etc.
Apple responded, saying that jailbreaking would only make security weaker, support issues more frequent, and consumers more unhappy. (Not unlike the reason they won’t license Mac OS X to generic PC manufacturers: if you don’t control software and hardware, it’s a lot harder to make a good, usable product.) Apple also says that jailbreaking fails all four provisions for fair use, essentially calling it copyright infringement, and a crime. The Copyright Office will rule on this in October.
Via [AppleInsider]
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Your headline is wrong. If the EFF is filing a request with the USCO to exempt [ cellphone jailbreaking ] from being considered copyright infringement, it means that jailbreaking constitutes copyright infringement and a DMCA violation at the moment and Apple wants it to stay that way, because it allegedgly fails all four provisions for fair use.
on February 14, 2009 at 09:43 PM - LINKI own the iPhone/iPod Touch, therefore if I want to “jailbreak” it I should be able to. I feel the real reason for Apple’s contesting of jail breaking is as always monetary. They don’t make a dime on apps that don’t go through their app store. If they really want to fight jail breaking, they should give the people what they want. There are many things one can do with their device running non-app store applications that can’t be done on a non-jail broke device. Further the issues I have had purchasing and upgrading via app store do not exist in the jail broke community. Many apps rejected by Apple for what ever reason, usually because they compete with an Apple application, can be obtained in the jail broke community. I would say to Apple, stop whining, step up to the plate and fight your competition rather than criminalize it!
on February 17, 2009 at 10:21 AM - LINKapple is retarded if there gonna get pissed over that some guy modded there phone and made it a hell of a alot better just cause they never thought of it maybe next time they will add more features and maybe hire ppl like Jay.
on April 29, 2009 at 10:32 AM - LINK