The interesting (and possibly telling) bit comes up at the end of their release, where apparently UniquePhones is “evaluating what to eventually do with the software should they be legally denied the right to sell it.”[...] Thanks to dan00b for providing this nice story on Digg (more than 473Diggs).
What other users say about this:
rfhayes: The DMCA does not apply to unlocking cell phones (at least through 2009).
Whatever legal mechanism that ATT&T and/or Apple use to try to stifle these guys, it WON”T be the DMCA. Late last year the Librarian of Congress made a specific exemption to the DMCA for removing carrier-locks on cell phones. Here’s the copyright office page on the exemptions to the DMCA put in place last year:
caponumen: AT&T will sue the crap out of them……
Amnesia10: I am waiting for the iPhone in the UK and if it is only available on the wrong network then I will have to wait until it is no longer exclusive. That might be a few years but I can wait, it will be even better by the time I get it. Though I can understand why Apple are doing this. They get a share of all revenue and as such they want to protect that income. If other networks agree to Apples terms then they will get access as well.
HappyScrappy: Just vaporware. They’re covering for their own failure to have a solution.
misbehavior: 1. Apple isn’t even the one threatening legal action in this story.
2. You need to learn what “monopoly” and “strongarming” actually mean.
3. “they have complete exclusivity to any software for their PCs” - makes no sense.
hillie: I don’t believe this is true. Geohot said that what he did is perfectly legal. I know for a FACT it’s the law that carriers MUST give you the unlock code for your phone if you ask for it. There it is. IF you ask for it. They don’t advertise the existance of an unlock code or that they can give it to you.
I don’t see what Geohot did as being any different. He may have had to hack hardware but he still “unlocked the phone.” which is legal. It’s different from say, modifying your PS2 to play backup copies. That promotes software piracy. There is no piracy here because the customer bought the phone fair and square from the maker.
Do you think that Geohot just slipped under Apple’s radar? No, I bet there’s people at Apple that have known about him since the get go. How interesting that these people get a phone call from Apple’s lawyers “in the middle of the night” and they don’t really detail what happened.
This is a hoax that probably was perpetrated by Engadget themselves. You see that Engadget was the only site who wrote about them, and I know that Engadget has lied on several occasions about crap, and they’ve also apparently tried to “steal the thunder” from other sources as well, by stealing images from bengalboy.com and claiming they were the first to give the scoop on secret prototype phones etc.
Don’t trust Engadget. Trust the truth.
iksnae: if uniquephones really has a software solution to unlock the iphone, they need to stop pussyfooting around + release the damn thing. it’s annoying seeing all the BS sites trying to generate traffic from the iphone unlock craze. either ya have it or ya don’t… and honestly i think the phonecalll was BS too… another way to hype sh*t up..
smacksaw: The fact is, we’re too cheap to pay what a phone is worth, so we need a contract. We’re too irresponsible with our credit to finance the phone. And lastly, we’re too disloyal to stay with a carrier, but worse, they treat us so shabbily that we’d switch carriers weekly trying to not be abused. Digg me down if you must my fellow septics, but it’s the truth.
tinkafoo: “donate” it to bittorrent, like everyone else!
mwang1999: I want to let everyone know that I created a spaceship that harnesses zero point energy which will be able to take people on the moon for only $10. First spaceflight is scheduled for tomorrow.
UPDATE: I just received a phone call from NASA’s lawyers. After bringing up alienisation issues, I will have to postpone the first spaceflight to the moon for an indefinite period of time…..
Svift: Cellphones must not be locked to carriers!!!
llsethj: Apple was founded on the ill-gotten money from phone phreaking - now they want to sue the modern day equivalent. Absurd!
http://9to5mac.com/steve-jobs-hacks-phones-234556455
neiltc13: Buried as inaccurate. It clearly doesn’t exist so how can they possibly delay it?
zephc: “evaluating what to eventually do with the software should they be legally denied the right to sell it.”
Give it away?
Please?
Macshiba: Sell the software to The Pirate Bay, have them write AT&T telling them it’s legal for them to have their software in Sweden, and then release it for free for everyone to have.
Take that, bitches.
Posted by Mike
Seems AT&T is a bit annoyed at the idea. A middle of the night phone call from a Silicon Valley law firm is slowing down the release of the software to you.[...] Thanks to 
Posted by Mike
A New Jersey teenager has unlocked the iPhone, opening the way to Apple’s iconic mobile telephone being used by non-US networks.[...] Thanks to 
Posted by Mike
It’s not turning out to be such a great day for AT&T (T) and Apple (AAPL), as some enterprising hackers have unlocked the iPhone and made it ready for any GSM network.[...] Thanks to 
Am I the only person that finds it ironic that someone has unlocked the iPhone, but you have to BUY the software? I am sure they won’t mind it when I download the software for free via torrent.[...] Thanks to 
Along with a secretive group of online collaborators, Hotz broke the restrictions that make Apple Inc.’s iPhone, arguably the hottest gadget of the year, work only on AT&T Inc.’s cellular network.[...] Thanks to 
“We thought today would be, well, fitting to start our new technology law series Know Your Rights, written by Engadget’s own totally punk copyright attorney Nilay Patel. In it we’ll try to answer some fundamental tech-law questions to help you stay out of trouble in this brave new world.”[...] Thanks to 
What do you guys think of this concept design? It’s kind of a mix between the new iMac and the iPhone, I like it even though it looks a little too wide.[...] Thanks to 
