Jailbreaking now legal under DMCA for smartphones, but not tablets

Post by TheGateKeeper » Fri, Oct 26, 2012, 8:51 AM UTC

eigenvector wrote: post #31

jlgreco wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So do other things, like having an internet connect, owning a usb cable, possessing a rudimentary knowledge of technology, etc. There are already laws against piracy. Additional laws covering things merely leading up to that act should not be necessary nor desired.

To play the devil's advocate here, since there are already laws against assault and homicide, would you say that there should be no regulation of weapons? And before you argue that weapons have no purpose except to break other laws, like jailbreaking there are many lawful or sporting uses of swords, firearms, explosives, etc.

Post by corin_ » Fri, Oct 26, 2012, 9:01 AM UTC

jbbeats wrote: post #30

tambourine_man wrote: post #24

If it's legal to jailbreak it, shouldn't the company be oblige to provide an official way to do so? Why is it expected that the users come up with the means? What if it's next to impossible due to hardware encryption and whatnot. It's already not trivial on most devices.

If it's legal for me to carve a smiley face onto my garden gnome shouldn't the garden-gnome seller be oblige[sic] to provide an official way to do it? Why should I need to figure out how to use a chisel? What if the gnome is very fragile so I can't do it without breaking it? Just as carving a garden-gnome is not intended, manufactured, or expected behavior, there's absolutely NO reason for a phone manufacturer to go…

Post by crististm » Fri, Oct 26, 2012, 10:02 AM UTC

ari_elle wrote: post #19

krickle wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's so infuriating that the lawmakers just don't get it. If I buy a console, I should be free to root it and run Linux or whatever. There are already laws against piracy, we don't need to throw freedom out to stop it.

It is frustrating and at the same time one of the reasons why the traditional PC as we know it has a special position. If you think about it, the traditional PC is one of the - and it's sad to say so - few devices where the hardware really is yours (one could argue that firmware is locked down etc, but i guess everybody knows what i mean). There are not so many devices left that you can: -) install custom software on…

Post by Natsu » Fri, Oct 26, 2012, 11:31 AM UTC

cageface wrote: post #27

gizmo686 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is an app-specific DRM scheme is impossible to implement. The user would be able to intercept any API calls the app makes to an external program, at the very least capturing/spoofing the signal to the I/O drivers. The only way to make a secure system in this sense is if the software can establish a chain of trust and be confident that it is not running on top of 'compromised' software. An solution to this…

To make a really robust DRM system, perhaps. But DRM really just needs to put enough of a speedbump in front of the average user to make it less of a hassle to pay. iTunes Movies and the Kindle Store are both good examples of this.

Post by beagle3 » Fri, Oct 26, 2012, 1:23 PM UTC

krickle wrote: post #16

ari_elle wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quote from Wired article (linked below): "The regulators said that the controls were necessary to prevent software piracy and differentiated gaming consoles from smart phones, which legally can be jailbroken: [T]he record demonstrated that access controls on gaming consoles protect not only the console firmware, but the video games and applications that run on the console as well. The evidence showed that video games…

It's so infuriating that the lawmakers just don't get it. If I buy a console, I should be free to root it and run Linux or whatever. There are already laws against piracy, we don't need to throw freedom out to stop it.