Shoutbox

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Originally posted by Ningc_Maniac
well when you mod your xbox u get banned from teh xbox live.... and microsoft cant really ban u if it isnt legal....

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They ban modded xboxs from xbox live because mods can be used to cheat
So its their way of keeping things fair

err if u want i know how its easy on the newer Nokia's its not ilegal... if u call Orange up for example you can pay to have yours unblocked so you can put others sims in... if you read the o2 simcard packs it tells you about calling your network up etc

It is illegal. Modding Xboxes and PlayStation 2's, as well as unlocking phones. Completely illegal. It's like stealing satelite. It's still stealing, it's still illegal.

Modding gaming systems - You are making the system do things it would not normally do. It voids warranty and is illegal. Well, in the UK for sure - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/21/ps2_mod_chip_win/

Unlocking phones - Most, if not ALL, wireless companies offer services to unlock your phone FOR A PRICE. By doing it yourself, you are avoiding services costs which is stealing and therefore is illegal. However..as brought to my attention in the article linked below, it depends on what you mean by "unlocking". There are different types, unlocking features, unlocking phones that have been locked by the service due to inappropriate activity or something or unlocking the phone to be able to change service providers.

Interesting read: http://cellphones.about.com/library/bl_cf_unlock.htm

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Originally posted by EvilSeph
Most, if not ALL, wireless companies offer services to unlock your phone FOR A PRICE.

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why? because if you can easyly (ie: for free) unlock a phone you can easly change your wireless company and that's a thing companies don't want. So being it for a price isn't a reason to say if it's or isn't legal.

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Originally posted by EvilSeph
it depends on what you mean by "unlocking".

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for me, unlocking means that your change (the configuration of) your phone in order it accepts sim cards of other companies; not only the one who sold you the phone.

And as long as the phone is yours ('cause you bought it) and you only change the configuration of the phone (ie: you don't open the phone and modify its components) then unlocking is legal and it should not void the warranty

No no no, there are different types of "unlocking". Please re-read my post. If you can easily do it for free, but your services provider is charging you, it's theft. However, the true legality of it is still being debated..

concearning the type of unlocking were you can put another sim card in your phone from another company (simcard lock), that is illegal.

You bought your phone with some company. Often companies charge less money for phones which are simlocked to their own company. This is their part of the "promotion"; you pay less for the same phone, but you also restrict yourself to use that company as operator. By buying the phone you agree (read: sign) a contract with that company. Breaking the lock means breaking the contract (and stealing money in a sense, like ES said) which is illegal.

Now, on the other hand you can ask your company to unlock your phone for this, they can't refuse it but they can and will ask for money. And this is very logic also, because this is for the (minor) service costs, but mostly for the money they "lost" when you bought your locked phone with that company (aka: compensation).

Yeh so unlocking them is 100% legal IF you do it though your provider doing it yourself thats kidan of ilegal/grey. However if you have ever locked at a market i dont think they are worried to much lol otherwise they would stop this i mean i can walk around well a shopping centre and there are people doing in SHOPS not stools so its rather should we say a grey area lol

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Originally posted by CookieRevised
concearning the type of unlocking were you can put another sim card in your phone from another company (simcard lock), that is illegal.

You bought your phone with some company. Often companies charge less money for phones which are simlocked to their own company. This is their part of the "promotion"; you pay less for the same phone, but you also restrict yourself to use that company as operator. By buying the phone you agree (read: sign) a contract with that company. Breaking the lock means breaking the contract (and stealing money in a sense, like ES said) which is illegal.

Now, on the other hand you can ask your company to unlock your phone for this, they can't refuse it but they can and will ask for money. And this is very logic also, because this is for the (minor) service costs, but mostly for the money they "lost" when you bought your locked phone with that company (aka: compensation).

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If you buy your phone on Pay as you go* then you are signing no contract.




* Pay as You Go is a scheme in some countries where you dont pay a fixed monthly fee, but "top-up" the balance on your phone, when you want to, the cost of subsequent calls are deducted from your balance

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Originally posted by saralk
If you buy your phone on Pay as you go* then you are signing no contract.

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Thats what I thought aswell, when a phone company sells you their phone, you're purchasing that phone for your use, that phone is no longer theirs, afaik, Unlocking is not illegal on pay as you go for the same reason you said. No contracts have been signed, so nothing can be done to stop it,

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Originally posted by saralk
If you buy your phone on Pay as you go* then you are signing no contract.

* Pay as You Go is a scheme in some countries where you dont pay a fixed monthly fee, but "top-up" the balance on your phone, when you want to, the cost of subsequent calls are deducted from your balance

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That has nothing to do with it. We are not talking about the payment plan for the service. We're talking about buying the phone itself.

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Originally posted by traxor
Thats what I thought aswell, when a phone company sells you their phone, you're purchasing that phone for your use, that phone is no longer theirs, afaik,

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No, it isn't their phone anymore, but you still "signed" a contract by buying the phone of that company.

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Originally posted by traxor
Unlocking is not illegal on pay as you go for the same reason you said. No contracts have been signed

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Wrong. You and saralk are confussing the actual phone service with the selling of the phone. Both are different things (but often done together).

1) you need to buy a phone

This can be done everywhere. But most phones offered are linked to some service company; they include a sim card (pay 'n go) from a certain service provider.

By buying the phone which includes a sim card from a certain service provider, you actual "sign" a contract with that service provider.

It can be that these phones are relativly cheaper then if you would've bought them without an included sim card from a certain service provider. If this is the case, then those phones are simlocked to that service company. You can't put a simcard from another service company in to the phone. Unlocking that is illegal because of the things I've said in my previous post.


2) you need to puchase a phone service plan if it is not included (Pay 'n Go, Prepaid, Factuartion, whatever, ...). If it is not included, your phone is not simlocked to any service company.