Unlocking Phones is Now Illegal
01/27/2013 08:52
As of Saturday, January 26, 2013, it is illegal to unlock an iPhone without a carrier’s permission. Now this means you have to spend more money to get your iPhone unlocked. The Copyright Office made this law back in October, but they gave a 90-day notice.
If you aren’t familiar with unlocking a phone, it usually requires a third-party service or entering a code. Once unlocked, you can use your phone with any service provider you want. It is also good for people who want to use their phone in a different country. You just need to get a local SIM and put it in your phone.
Now, you just have to pay the full retail price for your phone (the iPhone 5 is about $650). Here is the Copyright PDF.