Jail for iPhone Jailbreakers?

Davey Winder
Monday, 16 February 2009 03:11

IT Industry - Market

Apple states that the EFF "seeks through the proposed exemption to clear the path for those who would hack the iPhone’s operating system so that a proprietary mobile computing platform protected by copyright can be transformed into one on which any third party application can be run."

It claims that this would be done "without taking account of the undesirable consequences that would ensue from the transformation."

So the Apple position is essentially that the proposed EFF exemption would stifle innovation and damage the software market for the iPhone and ultimately, therefore, the end user.

Meanwhile, the EFF argues that "Apple's shackling iPhone owners to the iTunes App Store has nothing to do with protecting Apple software from piracy."

It has everything, according to the EFF at least, do with "limiting competition and innovation on the iPhone platform."

I am inclined to side with Saul Hansell, writing for the New York Times, who argues "There’s a real issue at stake, but it isn’t fundamentally about copyrights."

It is fundamentally about whether Apple should have a legal right to tell iPhone owners how they can be used and what software can be used upon  What do you think?