Unlock your cell phone? Now a No-no

[Ken H.]

I hadn't heard this was comming in the USA. Guess I don't really understand what problem it's meant to solve? No similar such thing in Canada as far as I know where unlocking your phone remains the norm.

 

Unlocking Illegal Starting Today

[smiller]

The key phrase is here: '... it is illegal to unlock a subsidized (my emphasis) phone or tablet that's bought through a U.S. carrier.' But... once the phone is off-contract then it is legal to unlock, and in fact once off-contract most carriers will even permit an official unlock these days (AT&T did it for me for my iPhone upon request.) I'm not sure why a carrier would even care exactly, since even if you do unlock your subsidized phone and take it to another carrier you will still be liable for early termination fees so they get their money one way or the other. In any event, for the above reasons this ruling doesn't really mean much (plus who cares if it is legal or not anyway since there's no practical way to enforce such a rule, not that lack of any method of practical enforcement has ever stopped any of this DMCA silliness.)