Apple Declares Jailbreaking 'Illegal'

[Logan Westbrook]

Apple Declares Jailbreaking 'Illegal'

Do you love your iPhone, but hate the iTunes App Store? Then you might just be one of hundreds of thousands of people who have 'jailbroken' their handsets -- and that Apple now considers a criminal.

Jailbreaking is the act of removing the restrictions imposed on iPhone users that prevent them from getting applications from anywhere other than the official iTune store. Apple, seeing all that potential revenue slipping through its fingers, has launched a FUD [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt] campaign against the practice, as well as running to the courts to try and get the process made illegal, claiming that the practice "[results] in copyright infringement, potential damage to the device and other potential harmful physical effects, adverse effects on the functioning of the device, and breach of contract."

Apple's copyright violation claim is based around the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, and its clause dealing with anti-circumvention, as jailbreaking a phone requires a modified version of Apple's iPhone bootloader and operating system, conveniently ignoring the precedent in US law that allows reverse-engineering software to increase interoperability with independent software.

Source: EFF [http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/02/apple-says-jailbreaking-illegal] via Boing Boing [http://www.boingboing.net/2009/02/13/apple-sez-jailbreaki.html]



Permalink

 

[Royas]

Well, if Apple can declare modding your property illegal, I'm declaring all DRM illegal. Has about as much actual weight in law, and makes more sense.

 

[scotth266]

Apple, you sad, sad company. Stop trying to stop these sorts of people, it only makes them more determined.

 

[Teh_Doomage]

Yeah, Apple needs to learn more about how DRM just kinda...forces the issue and makes people purchase less stuff.

 

[Skrapt]

And people wonder why I both despise Apple and refuse to own a single one of their products. I don't even have mother-fraking Quicktime. Apple can suck me long and hard, I won't touch their shit.

Plus Quicktime sucks and most of Apples products are overhyped, overpriced hardware with an intuitive but ultimately extremely limited UI. Plus the market would be better without their secretive practices, general arrogance, refusal to open their products open to developers and rabid fanbase.

*vent over*

As for the article in question Apple just shooting themselves in the foot again, nothing to see here. They've locked down their software into their hardware with no good justification before and I don't doubt that they will continue to do so.

*vent 2 over*

Yay

OK I'll be the first to admit that opening the iPhone up to apps apearing on Cydia may damage their profit margins in the short term - but when people see you're open to change and development you have a much larger potential market, which ultimately leads to more money.

 

[Specter_]

Does "FUD" stand for "Fuck you dicks," because that seems to be what they think of us.

What this mad fucker said!

I always knew why I hated Apple with a passion.

 

[mokes310]

Typical Apple.

New and innovative ideas are bad and wrong! People should be happy with only what we give them.

 

[InvisibleMilk]

This is why I own Mp3 players, no Ipods in this household.

 

[Wyatt]

seems to me that as long as im not getting something that apple OWNES for free i can do anything i friggen please with MY phone. if i want to install someones app on my phone even if it breaks it, as long as that app isnt a pirated version than what the fuck is the problem?

if my uncle Jeb developes an app for MY phone and i want to install it how does that involve apple in any way? i didnt buy a fucking lifetime commitment to apple, i didnt signe a marraige contract, i bought a piece of hardware nothing more.

that would be like Ford trying to take me to court because i want to use non Good year tires, or non ford gas cap.

im betting they wont get far though. you cant tell a company like Microsoft that they not only have to allow 3rd party apps on their systems but they have to SUPPORT them as well, and tell apple they can have a monopoly on their phones. besides im not renting the fucking thing i OWN it.

 

[Chilango2]

FUD stands for Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

I don't think they can logically enforce that. Even if they do catch someone I dont think it will stand in a court of law.

 

[Stryc9]

I HATE Apple, to the point where I won't even walk near their products for fear of catching hippie germs and buying an iLame, however they may have a legal leg to stand on here. Since 'jailbreaking' the iPhone required someone to, to some degree, reverse engineer the iPhone software it violates the terms of use that you agree to when you open the box and sign your name on that two year AT&T contract.

 

[lacktheknack]

I HATE Apple, to the point where I won't even walk near their products for fear of catching hippie germs and buying an iLame, however they may have a legal leg to stand on here. Since 'jailbreaking' the iPhone required someone to, to some degree, reverse engineer the iPhone software it violates the terms of use that you agree to when you open the box and sign your name on that two year AT&T contract.

So if I have an iPod Touch, basically an iPhone minus the phone and aforementioned contract, am I allowed to do it?

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

I don't think they can logically enforce that. Even if they do catch someone I dont think it will stand in a court of law.

At this rate they're going to start claiming that I'm trespassing on their property when I install an alien program.