The EFF is doing its part to act as the knight in shining armour for mobile phone ‘jailbreakers’ everywhere.
From The EFF site:
Yesterday, EFF filed petitions (1, 2) with the Copyright Office seeking DMCA exemptions for three categories of activities that do not violate copyright laws, but that are still jeopardized by the DMCA’s ban on bypassing technical protection measures used to control access to copyrighted works (i.e, DRM). The three exemptions are for:
- Noncommercial video creators (like YouTubers and vidders) who rip DVDs in order to use clips for fair use remixes;
- Cell phone owners who want to unlock their phones to use them on cellular networks of their choosing;
- Cell phone owners who want to “jailbreak” their phones in order to use applications of their choosing (e.g., iPhone owners who want apps from sources other than the iTunes App Store).
The exemption for remix video creators is necessary to protect fair use in a digital world where visual literacy (what Larry Lessig calls RW culture) is increasingly important.
That being said, arguments pertaining to the new petitions are due to the Copyright Office by February 2, 2009. The hearings on the matter will be held this spring. Any decisions are set to be handed down in October to coincide with the expiration of the current exception set.
