Public Knowledge & Consumers Petition Copyright Office for Right to Unlock Access to Their Own Stuff

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Remember the hard-won battle for consumers’ right to unlock their own cell phones that concluded a few months ago? It lasted over a year and included 114,000 Americans signing a petition, support from the White House, and bipartisan action from both the House and the Senate. We did it, though, and as a result individuals now have the right to unlock phones they own so they can take those phones with them when they switch from one network to another. But that right could disappear next year, depending on how the Copyright Office rules once again in the triennial proceeding set forth under Section 1201 of the Copyright Act. Section 1201 prohibits the breaking of digital “locks” (like the software-based restriction that keeps a phone tied to one carrier’s network) and gives the Copyright Office the power to grant limited exemptions. Indeed, consumers will lose the right to unlock their own phones unless someone convinces the Copyright Office to renew the exemption for phone unlocking.


Public Knowledge & Consumers Petition Copyright Office for Right to Unlock Access to Their Own Stuff Public Knowledge Challenges Restrictions on Legitimate Use (PK press release)