Legal

To help answer some questions about this week's announcement by the Copyright Office, a unit of the Library of Congress, regarding the legality of so-called cell phone jailbreaking--that is, modifying the software that comes with iPhones and other handsets and that is designed not to be changed--we've compiled the following questions and answers.

What does the Copyright Office's ruling mean? The short answer is that jailbreaking your iPhone or other mobile device will no longer violate a controversial federal copyright law called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA. Bypassing a manufacturer's protection mechanisms to … Read more

Apple has provided an unusually detailed accounting of how it handles customers' location information and privacy, following a query sent to the company by two Congressmen.

The iPhone maker reiterated in a letter published Monday that it does not share location information with outside parties without a customer's permission. If customers agree to use location-based applications, like Foursquare or Twitter or iAds, location information is collected by Apple in a way that does not identify the user.

A small bit of panic arose when Apple updated its privacy policy on June 21 for customers using devices that run iOS … Read more

iPhone customers in China could soon be able to get a version of the device with Wi-Fi, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

Apple's phone with Wi-Fi capability snagged a network access license in China last week, which was posted on the country's Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center's Web site. The photo that accompanies the license looks like an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS, and not the recently released iPhone 4.

The iPhone went on sale in China in October, but with 3G cellular service only, and not Wi-Fi. Chinese regulations don't allow Wi-Fi … Read more

A lawsuit against Apple and AT&T over their exclusivity contract has been granted class action status, meaning it now includes anyone who bought an iPhone between June 29, 2007, and present day and signed up for AT&T service. (Court Filing PDF)

The heart of the class action suit, which was originally filed in October 2007, is whether consumers who entered the two-year contract with AT&T did so knowing that they were actually entering a de-facto five-year contract because that's what the AT&T-Apple exclusivity agreement has been reported to be.

Apple has … Read more

Apple has filed a lawsuit against three companies it alleges are selling knockoff power adapters for MacBooks and MacBook Pros, according to court filings.

The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Thursday, names Brilliant Store, Sunvalleytek International, and Hootoo.com as defendants. Those companies operate Web sites that sell a variety of computer parts and accessories, including power adapters that Apple says infringe upon its patents.

One of the stores operated by Sunvalleytek, usadapter.com, isn't exactly hiding the fact that it sells both "oringinal" (their spelling) MacBook adapters … Read more

Apple may have offered a solution to faulty antenna allegations, but that hasn't stopped customers from getting the courts involved.

On Friday yet another lawsuit was filed against Apple for "misrepresenting and concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale, and servicing of its iPhone 4--particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception and related software."

The suit was filed on behalf of Steve Tietze and others in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and is seeking class action status. Tietze accuses Apple of unfair competition, … Read more

Barely a week since the public got its hands on the iPhone 4, the first lawsuit over it has been filed.

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on behalf of Kevin McCaffrey, Linda Wrinn, and others on Wednesday, the suit accuses Apple and AT&T of knowingly distributing a phone with a malfunctioning antenna. The plaintiffs are seeking class action status. The iPhone maker and its exclusive carrier partner in the U.S. are accused of a laundry list of infractions, including: general negligence, defect in design, manufacture, and assembly, breach of warranty, … Read more

Apple's privacy policy update for iOS device users has attracted the attention of Washington.

On Thursday, coinciding with Apple's high-profile first day sale of the iPhone 4, Reps. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) announced that they have sent a letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs expressing their concerns and asking for answers regarding reports that Apple is gathering location information on its customers.

"Given the limited ability of Apple users to opt out of the revised policy and still be able to take advantage of the features of their Apple products, we are concerned … Read more

After accusing HTC of infringing on 20 of its iPhone patents in March, Apple has expanded its suit.

This week Apple tacked on two more patents that it claims the Taiwanese handset manufacturer is in violation of using, according to a legal filing in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

The newly added patents both concern the same type of technology, which Apple lists as a "system for real-time adaptation to changes in display configuration."

In the original suit, Apple alleged that HTC is infringing on patents related to the iPhone's graphical user interface and the iPhone'… Read more