Week in review: Jailbreaking goes legit
Copyright office says bypass is legal, while Wikileaks publishes classified documents on the war in Afghanistan. Also: New Apple desktops.
Jailbreaking your iPhone or other mobile device no longer violates federal copyright law.
The decision, imparted by the U.S. Copyright Office, said that bypassing a manufacturer's protection mechanisms to allow "handsets to execute software applications" is permissible.
The Copyright Office also allowed bypassing the anticopying technology used in DVDs, but only for "documentary filmmaking," noncommercial videos, and educational uses--a ruling that stopped short of allowing Americans to legally make a backup copy for their own use, in case the original DVD gets damaged. It also doesn't apply to making backup copies of video game discs or Blu-ray discs.
But in practice, the actual impact of that portion of the decision may be limited. To address some questions about this week's announcement by the Copyright Office, we created an FAQ.
• On Call: Go ahead and jailbreak, it's legal now
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• Transcript: State Dept. probes Wikileaks source
• Transcript: Wikileaks Afghanistan docs 'alarming'
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Apple updates iMac line, intros Magic Trackpad
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Verizon users outpace iPhone users in data usage
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Chevy Volt's $41,000 price tag caused some sticker shock, but the first buyers appear willing to pay. Will it lead to the mainstreaming of electric vehicles?• GM Chevy Volt on sale now for $41,000
YouTube bumps video limit to 15 minutes
Want to put videos longer than 10 minutes up on YouTube? It's now a reality, with a new 15-minute limit.Also of note
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