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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

iPhone Users Can Become Jailbreakers

For as much control that Apple likes to control, you can't outrun the law. And in this case it comes from, of all places, The Library of Congress. "The Library of Congress, which has the power to define exceptions to an important copyright law, said on Monday that it was legal to bypass a phone’s controls on what software it will run to get “lawfully obtained” programs to work." In truth, it is the United States Copyright Office, a division of the Library. And while Apple can disallow its warranty, it can't stop free enterprise from offering to provide more apps and even repair, if needed.

In a bizarre twist, this ruling could make the Apple iPhone even more profitable. "In addition to this decision, the Library of Congress also granted an exception to artists who remix copy-protected video content for noncommercial work, and renewed its approval for cellphone owners to “unlock” their phones or lift controls that restrict use to one wireless carrier." For Verizon, that could just mean more users and for Apple, more phones sold.