iPhone Software Unlocking Delayed by AT&T Threats

Iria · Aug 26, 2007, 04:52 AM

Source: TechnologyExpert
__________
Yesterday I told you about the software unlocking of the iPhone performed by two different companies. One of them, Uniquephones.com, was to go live with its solution today on its iPhone Unlocking site. However, John McLaughlin, founder of Uniquephones, said that he received a phone call about 3 AM Saturday local time (the firm is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland) from a man claiming to be from a law firm calling on behalf of AT&T.

"They said if we did release this, that they would be within their rights to go after us," McLaughlin said. "These are bullying tactics."

LHC · Aug 26, 2007, 05:14 AM

Real link: TechnologyExpert: iPhone Software Unlocking Delayed by AT&T Threats

Anyway, that blows... stupid AT&T, it woulda been cool for people to have a software unlock. I know that many people wouldn't wanna solder their iPhone..

Iria · Aug 26, 2007, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LHC

Real link: TechnologyExpert: iPhone Software Unlocking Delayed by AT&T Threats

Anyway, that blows... stupid AT&T, it woulda been cool for people to have a software unlock. I know that many people wouldn't wanna solder their iPhone..

Thanks for the head's up on the link mistake.

bug77 · Aug 26, 2007, 11:20 AM

Great day. If they didn't think of it, you're forbidden to think about it, too. People are not supposed to think. Now where have I read that before?

Erroneus · Aug 26, 2007, 11:32 AM

If it's not illegal to provide phone unlocks in N. Ireland, they can do jack shit about it.

Is it even illegal in USA? It's not in Denmark

WaltC · Aug 26, 2007, 02:43 PM

It's amazing for me to witness how willing people are to believe everything they read on the Internet...

As others have pointed out, there's simply no legal reason for the people who've come up with the purported hardware & software hack of the iPhone not to go ahead with their plans as they have so far stated them to be. But instead we hear next that a "middle of the night" phone call from some unidentified lawyer who, it is claimed, works for AT&T, is all it took for them to abandon their plans. Right. Like, the guys who publicized the hack never in their wildest dreams ever expected to hear a single peep out of either AT&T or Apple. Oh, sure...

I think it is far more likely that either the whole thing is yet-another-Internet-hoax designed to kick up waves of discontent around the Internet in people who can be motivated by such things in order to draw attention--however fleeting--to the people behind the hack announcement, or else the people behind the hack have discovered that their hack really doesn't work as advertised--and so they *can't* release it--because it really doesn't work at all. So they invent the "middle of the night phone call from an unidentified lawyer" as their way out of having egg rightfully plastered all over their faces.

Iria · Aug 26, 2007, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaltC

It's amazing for me to witness how willing people are to believe everything they read on the Internet...

As others have pointed out, there's simply no legal reason for the people who've come up with the purported hardware & software hack of the iPhone not to go ahead with their plans as they have so far stated them to be. But instead we hear next that a "middle of the night" phone call from some unidentified lawyer who, it is claimed, works for AT&T, is all it took for them to abandon their plans. Right. Like, the guys who publicized the hack never in their wildest dreams ever expected to hear a single peep out of either AT&T or Apple. Oh, sure...

I think it is far more likely that either the whole thing is yet-another-Internet-hoax designed to kick up waves of discontent around the Internet in people who can be motivated by such things in order to draw attention--however fleeting--to the people behind the hack announcement, or else the people behind the hack have discovered that their hack really doesn't work as advertised--and so they *can't* release it--because it really doesn't work at all. So they invent the "middle of the night phone call from an unidentified lawyer" as their way out of having egg rightfully plastered all over their faces.

Even it that were true, there is another firm which has publicly shown its unlocking already. And this particular firm has cracked many other phones. There's no reason to doubt them. However, AT&T could simply be trying to bury them with legal costs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erroneus

If it's not illegal to provide phone unlocks in N. Ireland, they can do jack shit about it.

Is it even illegal in USA? It's not in Denmark

If you read the full article there's a DMCA exemption that SHOULD allow software unlocking and in fact is specifically written to do so.

Aug 26, 2007, 04:52 AM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 87	iPhone Software Unlocking Delayed by AT&T Threats Source: TechnologyExpert __________ Yesterday I told you about the software unlocking of the iPhone performed by two different companies. One of them, Uniquephones.com, was to go live with its solution today on its iPhone Unlocking site. However, John McLaughlin, founder of Uniquephones, said that he received a phone call about 3 AM Saturday local time (the firm is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland) from a man claiming to be from a law firm calling on behalf of AT&T. "They said if we did release this, that they would be within their rights to go after us," McLaughlin said. "These are bullying tactics." Last edited by Iria; Aug 26, 2007 at 06:21 AM.

Aug 26, 2007, 05:14 AM	#2
LHC Stingy and Stubborn Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,325 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Real link: TechnologyExpert: iPhone Software Unlocking Delayed by AT&T Threats Anyway, that blows... stupid AT&T, it woulda been cool for people to have a software unlock. I know that many people wouldn't wanna solder their iPhone.. __________________

Aug 26, 2007, 11:32 AM	#5
Erroneus Get off my lawn! Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Denmark Posts: 13,343 Rep Power: 114 System Specs	If it's not illegal to provide phone unlocks in N. Ireland, they can do jack shit about it. Is it even illegal in USA? It's not in Denmark __________________

Aug 26, 2007, 11:20 AM	#4
bug77 DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: around Posts: 792 Rep Power: 0	Great day. If they didn't think of it, you're forbidden to think about it, too. People are not supposed to think. Now where have I read that before?

Aug 26, 2007, 02:43 PM	#6
WaltC DriverHeaven Addict Join Date: May 2003 Location: Deep in Martian soil where it's warm and the air is good Posts: 245 Rep Power: 0	It's amazing for me to witness how willing people are to believe everything they read on the Internet... As others have pointed out, there's simply no legal reason for the people who've come up with the purported hardware & software hack of the iPhone not to go ahead with their plans as they have so far stated them to be. But instead we hear next that a "middle of the night" phone call from some unidentified lawyer who, it is claimed, works for AT&T, is all it took for them to abandon their plans. Right. Like, the guys who publicized the hack never in their wildest dreams ever expected to hear a single peep out of either AT&T or Apple. Oh, sure... I think it is far more likely that either the whole thing is yet-another-Internet-hoax designed to kick up waves of discontent around the Internet in people who can be motivated by such things in order to draw attention--however fleeting--to the people behind the hack announcement, or else the people behind the hack have discovered that their hack really doesn't work as advertised--and so they can't release it--because it really doesn't work at all. So they invent the "middle of the night phone call from an unidentified lawyer" as their way out of having egg rightfully plastered all over their faces.