AT&T has settled a class action lawsuit today that will mean that the carrier must unlock all phones locked to their network as long as customers meet a certain set of criteria.
Users of pre-paid phones must “provide proof of purchase of their locked handset,” while any contracted user must have “completed a minimum of 90 days of active service,” with the account remaining in good standing.
There is one caveat, however: “Handsets for which AT&T has an exclusive sales arrangement with a manufacturer of less than 10 months will have to wait until the 10-month period expires before they can receive an unlocking code.”
That means that any phone for which AT&T has an exclusivity pact of over 10 months (namely the Apple iPhone and BlackBerry Bold 9000), then it does not have to issue an unlock code.
The final approval hearing for the settlement is on July 2nd. You can find more information at www.attlockinglawsuits.com.
Result for: final approval
Last month the French National Assembly surprisingly shot down the extremely controversial ‘three strikes’ laws which would disconnect alleged pirates from the Internet after two warnings.
This week however, the legislation, backed by President Nicolas Sarkozy, has been passed by the Assembly, putting the laws in the hands of the Senate after over a year of debate.
The bill, dubbed The Creation and Internet bill, passed 296 to 233 and will now head to the Senate on Wednesday for final approval.
The three strikes laws would work as follows: A new regulatory body would send alleged pirates a warning e-mail, then a written letter, and finally cut them off the Internet for one year for a third offense.
Critics of the bill have warned that the bill may lead to innocent people being punished, if their computers or networks are hacked.
The socialist Patrick Bloche adds that the bill is “dangerous, useless, inefficient, and very risky for us citizens”.
John Kennedy, chairman of the IFPI, applauded the move, adding that the bill is “an effective and proportionate way of tackling online copyright infringement and migrating users to the wide variety of legal music services in France”.
Result for: final approval
The French Senate has voted in favor of a law that will have pirates kicked off the Internet for multiple offenses and the bill now goes to the French National Assembly for final approval.
Pirates caught illegally sharing protected content will get two warning emails before having their Internet connection cut off.
The idea of the “three strikes law” has been around since late 2007 when French President Nicolas Sarkozy introduced it and called the proposal “a decisive moment for the future of a civilised internet”.
Under the law, ISPs will become Internet watchdogs keeping a closer look on the piracy tendencies of its users.
The Senate almost unanimously voted to back the law (297 to 15) and will also create a new government division to strictly oversee anti-piracy.
