It’s official. Even though Apple Inc. thinks it should control the applications you use on its iPhone, federal regulators disagree and now say there never was a legal precedent for Apple’s restrictions.
This week, the Library of Congress and the Copyright Office revamped the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to remove so-called “jailbreaking" as an offense. Apple approves every single one of the apps that runs on its popular iPhone, an approach that’s referred to as a walled garden. But some users unlock the iPhone operating system so they can download apps Apple hasn’t approved.
Monday’s decision doesn’t force Apple or other smartphone developers to allow jailbreaking. It does, however, make it lawful for users to go around hacking controls and install apps of their choice.
The ruling does not apply to the iPad – just smartphones. And Apple says it won’t change its warranty policies because of the move. If jailbreaking causes your iPhone to act up or stop working, Apple won’t replace the device.
The Electronic Freedom Foundation was one of the groups pressing for a change to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which government officials review every three years.
