Backer of Cellphone Unlocking Petition Sets Sights on Modifying Copyright Act

The man behind the petition to re-legalize unlocking of cellphones now has a broader target: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act itself.

It’s that law that the Library of Congress used to rule that cellphone unlocking was illegal in the first place, and that’s the law that ultimately needs to be changed, said Sina Khanifar. “I think the real culprit here is Section 1201 of the DMCA, the controversial ‘anti-circumvention provision,’” Khanifar. “I discussed with the White House the potential of pushing to have that provision amended or removed, and they want to continue that conversation.”