iPhone contract judged overwhelmingly confusing

As the iPhone’s contract is particularly bulky one, it is really a dangerous business to sign up contract without reading them. Apple has rolled the AT&T agreement, iTunes and iPhone software, Google Maps and You Tube usage together with the user consent that an email forms the company into one great big document. And Wired took it to the Electronic Frontier Foundation where staff legal representative Fred Von Lohmann was pretty vital. As to Fred there is no chance whatsoever that a layperson would understand it and he doubted they could get through it. He also thinks most of the lawyers wouldn’t understand it either.
Firm blocks include the charges imposed when roaming, which although legal they are pretty unclear




and limitations on reverse-engineering the handset to find potential software exploits. Unlocking the iPhone, under the terms of the AT&T contract, is also prohibited, despite the governmental ruling last year that it was legal. More worryingly, AT&T also forbids class-action lawsuits and Apple demand freedom to monitor the iPhone “to verify compliance with the terms of this licence”. This could mean anything from checking to see if anyone has altered the firmware and are running a non-AT&T SIM or even include looking at text messages and voicemail. While Apple would no doubt deny that they would go so far the EFF’s view is that the contract is not clear enough of the rights and limitations users can expect.



Related Posts

  • iPhone contract judged overwhelmingly confusing
  • Mozilla Turns Down iPhone
  • iPhone lock prompts latest class-action suit
  • $5m Class-Action madness by iPhone battery
  • Judge orders new iPhone/iPod head at Apple to suspend work

    • Posted on Jul 31st, 2007 by Philip King in iPhones Talk | No Comments


    What's your opinion?

    « iPhone Ripoff: Love Feng Mobile Phone
    Boring Black to Exciting iPhone Backgrounds »