If you love jailbreaking your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch then you should read this post and take action.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) reports that it has asked the U.S. Copyright Office to declare that jailbreaking does not violate the DMCA.
You may remember that back in 2010, EFF had won critical exemption to the DMCA, which made it legal for users in the US to jailbreak their iPhone.
At that time, Apple had told the U.S. Copyright Office that it believed jailbreaking an iPhone is a violation of the DMCA and infringes on its copyright. Apple also informed the Copyright Office that the exemption request by Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) was not acceptable as the very act of jailbreaking the iPhone results in copyright infringement.
However, the exemption needs to be renewed otherwise it would expire, which could make jailbreaking your iOS device illegal. Interestingly, it looks like the exemption was only for smartphones, so it did not cover tablets like Apple's iPad. EFF wants to fix that by expanding the exemption to also cover tablets.
Here's how you can help:
The Copyright Office needs to hear from people who depend on the ability to jailbreak to write, use, and/or tinker with independent software (from useful apps to essential security fixes) for smartphones, tablets, and game consoles.
EFF is requesting users to submit comments online at this link. EFF has also provided a list of questions on their website that you should address in the comments.
Please note that comments are due by February 5th at 5PM Eastern time, so don't waste anytime and head over to the link provided above and submit your comments.
I jailbreaked before it was deemed legal and i will jailbreak again and again and again no matter what happens. And before you say it. YES, i pirate too.. ha ha ha ha ha
thank you for being honest. we all pirate. the people who say they don’t just want attention
i don’t. and you don’t know me or anything even vaguely resembling a statistically valid sample of people. therefore you statements of “we all pirate” and “the people who say they don’t just want attention” are wrong.
i do crack the DRM off all media and devices i have, in order to use my legally purchased items as i see fit. i am both a consumer and producer of content, commercial and otherwise. i have been a victim of “IP” theft – a (CC) piece of my original art was being used on cigarette lighters, of all things, being made in china and sold on ebay. All they had to do was ask. it was in the CC notice.
the vast bulk of my content is from owned and ripped CDs and DVDs. thousands of them (since i prefer high def). the few bits of mp3 and mpeg4 were legally downloaded.
in the idevice case, though, copyright is being horribly abused. it is intended to prevent property theft, in an environment where property is less tangible. if you crack your iphone, how are you stealing from apple? how do they lose a sale? (in fact, they gain a sale – the devices usefulness expands). i’ve already switched to a nexus phone (after 3 generations of iphone). my next tablet will probably be droid as well. i just get tired of the “game”, with apple.
Thats a bit like the saying 83% of people masturbate, the other 17% are liars!
i do not wank. nore do i pirate. pmsfl
Joe is the 17% that lies
i love how when some needs to defend themselves, they right an essay
^What he said
LMAO!!! I agree!
You just wrote a novel explaining how you don’t pirate, proving the post you replied to, to be correct.
BTW, dr;tl
Ok, I do not pirate and do not condone piracy. That being said, I don’t understand how Jailbreaking would be illegal, even if the exemption does expire.
It technically wasn’t illegal before the exemption, the exemption simplified clarified that it was indeed legal.
To make jailbreaking illegal is very hard to control but making distributing jailbreak tools illegal easier if exemption expires. Something like the SOPA n PIPA case.
Get off your high horse. You know you’ve downloaded mp3′s from the internet. Guess what? That means you pirate. I hate how everyone thinks that its only pirating when it comes to software, but then their ethics fly out the window when it comes to music. Everyone pirates, and if you say you don’t, you’re lying. You don’t need to convince us. It seems more like you’re trying to convince yourself.
Actually, no I haven’t downloaded illegal mp3s off the internet through any illegal means. I have used iTunes, eMusic, etc. that I pay for or downloaded free songs that are being given away by the artists/record labels.
Honestly, it is cheap enough to get the music through legitimate means, why should I steal from those the artists?
To say that everyone pirates is a gross exaggeration, there are some that do and overall the vast majority don’t.
How do you get your music?
In addition to the methods that I mentioned above, most actually come from CDs (yes physical CDs) that I buy from the store (most these days are from thrift stores, but that is perfectly legal).
Damn, you came back to this article like 10 times to comment.
I did…!
You did what?
EFF is requesting users to submit comments online at this link. EFF has also provided a list of questions on their website that you should address in the comments.
Please note that comments are due by February 5th at 5PM Eastern time, so don’t waste anytime and head over to the link provided above and submit your comments.
Ridiculous. I will jailbreak my phone as long as the resources are out there. If the FBI wants to look into it, come and get me, I’ll be the one with the cool icons on his iPhone.
haha same here, if you want me bad enough, just call my jailbroken phone.
Recording a T.V show with a VHS, or audio from the radio with a cassette is illegal. Will jailbreaking your iphone fit into the same ‘who gives the slightest s**t’ section of the law as they do? I believe so… and very nicely too
Actually, that falls under fair use.
What is illegal is to then sell that tape for a profit (you could ask for them to pay for your actual costs. i.e. the amount of electricity it took to make it, the physical media itself, the % of the cost of your cable bill, etc.)
This is a richmans world, n it’s getting old
If it becomes illegal to jailbreak than I believe Apple will have problems. I personally will stop buying apple products as some others may do the same eventually creating a boycott costing apple millions. Why can’t these a-holes just leave things alone and make their billions? Damn control freaks.
I 2nd that. They make thousands off of apps that don’t even work! Like scales n so many more, n a refund ya right
a boycott from the small market percentage that actually jailbreaks their cellphone, will not even bruise the giant that is Apple.The jailbreak community may seem large to you, on the internet but in the scope of the world and the market for apple products, it’s a drop in the bucket, my friend.
Gross! Who wants anything stock!
Copying music, Brooks, vidéo, software for free is pirating i figure. Modifying a car, a DVD player, a shirt is not. We purchase software and phones and waive warranty when we make any mod. Want to make changing an Armani suit illegal too? You alter the design. Ridiculous. I converted 110% from Apple but have difficulties with their marketing philosophy. B
I actually think that the manufacturer still would have to honor the warranty. Afterall, if I buy a car and put a non-oem radio in it, then the engine stops running, the car manufacturer is not allowed to say “You put in a new radio, so we will not honor your warranty!” That is a violation of the laws that protect consumers, I fail to see how this is any different.
yes
Poor analogy… But the issue hear seems to be copyright infringement. No part of the iPhone is being re-sold or altered unethically. For the most part software is created and installed on a device. You do the same thing on your PC. Buy software and install it. There is no company determining wether the software is “approved” or not. You use at your discretion. Now apple has every right to have the App Store and filter out programs that they deem to be unnecceasary…, ….
Like someone else said most of us have jailbreaked before this and we will definitely continue.
unless we’re going to start renting iphones from carriers or apple.. Don’t really see how JB is illegal.
I put a K&N air filter on my car. is that illegal??
That’s fine, we don’t jailbreak, no big deal, we will just root our device. same thing.
Illegal or not, It’s my iPhone and I can do what I choose with it.
So 4Q you fascists!
.
It’s my party and I will cry if I want to.
@ Chris. Read copyright notice inside CD case really good. It says it’s illegal to copy…
JAILBREAK= The sweetest feeling. LMAO
Archival back ups are completely legal. If you jailbreak just so you can load pirated apps then you shouldnt be alowed to even own a phone. If you want it jailbroke so you can have apps that break the agreement with the carriers then get yourself a different phone. If you only want it broke to load legit aps that you pay for feel free I say.
Jailbreaking it self is not illegal and in noway breaching Copyright laws. It the people who utilize the jailbreak to pirate and steal intellectual property are the ones who are in breach.
Get a life.
Get a Droid.
Or get Samsunged
lol
The reason there doing this a half million people jailbroke there iphones there loseing money
Oh I bet Apple wants a piece of that Jailbreak money. Imagine if it does become illegal, wouldn’t that mean the the jailbreak source is Apple’s property? They could charge an arm and a leg for it and people would buy it cause they’ll have no choice.
help people ,, in the website they want me to attach file ,, i don’t know what file they want me to attash, plus is it only for people who lives in the us ??? or what
Does anyone know if the ipad 2 is going on sale soon?
Is this applicable to iPod and iPad?
A lot of people do a lot of things wrong, but the one who talk about it are the ones likely to get caught. How they usually catch dumb criminals, they run their mouth to someone braging. Just because we are on an internet blog, doesn’t mean you can’t be found. So I would watch what some of you actually admit to.
HELP! Tried to download Absinthe to my computer for Mac, and keep getting a message that says “Absinthe has unexpectedly quit. Re-launch”. Never had a problem in the past. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
It’s my phone and I’m gonna do what I want with it. NA how bout that? how is some1 gonna know what’s on my phone.
You’d be surprised.
We download all of these hacked iphone programs and software, where are those files coming from? What makes you think, that if they wanted to there couldn’t be a tracking script written in to their download, and steal everything on your phone and know exactly what you’re doing. I think the possibilities are more believable than you think. So if a 17 year old sitting in his room writing code for jailbroken software, what makes you think the Gov., apple or anyone else can’t do it.
“ITS MY MONEY AND I NEED IT NOW!” or the classic “It’s your money, use it when you need it”
those type of commercials would be perfect for this