The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) is asking for your help to tell the U.S. Copyright Office that jailbreaking does not violate the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act), and its exemption should be continued and expanded.

In 2010, the Copyright Office said jailbreaking smartphones doesn’t violate the DMCA. This year, we’re asking them to renew that exemption (otherwise it will expire) and expand it to cover tablets. We’re also asking for a new exemption to allow jailbreaking of video game consoles.

The Library of Congress added the exception for jailbreak to the DMCA in July of 2010. Specifically:

Computer programs that enable wireless telephone handsets to execute software applications, where circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of enabling interoperability of such applications, when they have been lawfully obtained, with computer programs on the telephone handset.

However, jailbreak was declared as an exclusion from the DMCA, and protection wasn't actually hard coded into the act. That means the declaration could ultimately expire and leave jailbreakers subject to legal penalties.

If you'd like to help ensure this never happens, the EFF has advised you submit your opinion in comment form to the Copyright Office, and even offer a submission template with comment suggestions for your convenience. Comments are due by February 10th at 5PM, so make sure you submit your comments soon!

Souce: EFF

The TiPb forums are naturally a great place to talk, commiserate, celebrate, get help, and offer advice to your fellow iPhone users. In order to create a new thread of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is easy and free so if you haven’t already head on over and register now!

• Are you having any issues using your Bluetooth headset with you iPhone 4? Some of our forum members are reporting poor sound quality at times. Poor headsets or iOS 4.0.2 software issue? You be the judge.

• There are so many hot topics being discussed in our iPhone Jailbreak and Unlock forum, be sure to check them out.

• We know it's pretty far off but what would you like to see added, hardware wise, in the next generation of the iPhone?

• iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Accessories: Any accessory is fair game in this forum.

See you in the forums!

The Library of Congress' DMCA exception for jailbreaking is big news for our community.  The new ruling basically says that jailbreaking or unlocking devices is not illegal.  But I think the bigger question on most people's minds is what that's going to mean for end users and the jailbreak community in general.  So what does this ruling mean for you, jailbreak ninjas? Read on to find out.

Now we all know the iPhone has its shortcomings. Every smartphone does. In the iPhone world, we jailbreak to compensate. Android users may root their phones to side load apps. We also have a big issue (mainly in the US) where unlocking your phones is frowned upon. Users have cried foul for a long time. Logically, if you buy an iPhone outright in the states, you should be free to take that phone to whatever carrier you'd like. Yet they're still locked down to AT&T for state-side users.

Today's ruling is definitely a step in the right direction and a huge hurdle for groups like EFF, but how it will effect end users right "now" still remains somewhat unclear.  Now keep in mind, as of now, this is strictly my opinion. What I'm taking from this is that Apple or any other phone manufacturer will not be able to sue you or take legal action for jailbreaking or unlocking your device. Does that mean they have to be okay with it or aid you in doing it? Absolutely not.

What about warranties?

In my opinion, I don't think anything will change (as of now). Apple will still have the same stance on modifying your iOS devices and the risks involved.  I can't image it would be hard for apple to play off a software malfunction on user error or the fact that you downloaded an application that was not approved or isn't supported by them.  What if you have a hardware issue?  That should be a little different.  Apple shouldn't be allowed to deny you hardware repairs solely based on the fact that you are jailbroken.  I've read in forums several times that users would attempt to exchange white iPhones for hairline cracks and get turned away because their device was jailbroken.  I'd really like someone at Apple to explain to me how being jailbroken caused a crack in the casing.  Other users have said they swapped their phone just fine.  I'm assuming this probably depends upon what store you go to and how much the genius really pays attention to the phone before performing a swap.  Either way - I don't see this ruling changing the way Apple handles servicing jailbroken or unlocked devices.

Unlocking

Users have long been unlocking devices and taken them to other GSM carriers such as T-Mobile.  If this becomes a common practice, I'm curious to see how carriers will handle that.  Honestly, I don't think they will.  They'll refer you to the manufacturer.  And if that carrier happens to be Apple, if you don't have a valid AT&T SIM, I still think you'll have a hard time getting them to service your phone.

If unlocking becomes a standard practice are users can buy unlocked devices to take to whichever GSM carrier they'd like, then Apple would not have the software argument to hide behind, nor would any manufacturer.  AT&T offers unlock codes to users who have been on contract for a specified period of time for pretty much every device in their lineup, except the most popular ones.  And obviously, that includes the iPhone.

Cat & Mouse

The Dev Team and jailbreaks have long played the cat and mouse game with Apple.  A jailbreak is released, a couple months later, an update to iOS is released, it breaks the jailbreak or patches the exploit.  Jailbreakers go back to the drawing board and find yet another exploit.  And the cycle continues.  I don't see any end to this either.  Apple may not be able to sue you, but they sure don't have to like it or condone it.

Conclusion

So my opinion? I don't think a thing will change for end users, as of right now anyways.  Apple can still choose not to honor warranties, they just can't take legal action, given you aren't using a jailbreak for unlawful purposes.  Around these parts, we fully support the jailbreak community, without supporting those who use it for illegal purposes.  It'll be interesting to see how Apple and other manufacturers respond.  But in the mean time, what do you guys think?

Ars Technica is reporting, and posting the relevant legal language to back up, that the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement now contains language that says:

registered developers can no longer jailbreak their own phones or assist others in jailbreaking their phones, including (but not limited to) working on projects such as QuickPwn or PwnageTool. Developers are also forbidden from using the iPhone OS, SDK, or other developer tools to develop applications for distribution in any way other than the App Store or Ad Hoc distribution—which of course rules out distribution via Cydia, free or otherwise.

Of course, this won't prevent iPhone Dev Team from working on future jailbreak-related projects, but Ars rightly points out it may make legit iPhone developers hesitate in helping them out. From Apple's point of view, this is understandable (they want control of their platform and revenue stream), but from the point of view of certain types of developers and technology enthusiasts, it's untenable.

However, it remains to be seen what, if anything, Apple can or -- more importantly -- would do when it comes to enforcing this agreement.

What a bizarre turn of events we have here... It seems that everyone who has a new Macbook, Macbook Pr, or Macbook Air and wants to jailbreak there iPhone is in for a surprise. You will be unable to do so. New Macbook owners will notice an iPhone or iPod Touch will not be detected when it is booted into DFU mode, which we all know is key for jailbreaking.

At first I thought that Apple had to make some sort of hardware change within their new Macbooks. Then Dieter politely gave me the version of iTunes running on his new Macbook, 8.0.1 (12). Now the version that everyone else has on their older Macs is version 8.0.1 (11). Very interesting. If it's a simple software change that would only slow down the Dev Team for a few days until a new work-around is found.

Now keep in mind this is not the first attempt by Apple to slow down jailbreaking. A few months back they attempted a counter strike when firmware 2.1 dropped, only to have the Dev Team find a solutions merely days later.

On a side note, I've seen a lot of people having issues with jailbreaking lately, please keep in mind if you do not have a new Macbook, you still can jailbreak. There was a rumor going around on the forums with members concerned they can not jailbreak. This is simply not true.

(Thanks to Landon for the tip!)

[Note: Anyone not using a new Macbook, but looking for help Jailbreaking, check out Jeremy's awesome guides for Mac, Windows, and iPhone 2G, and if you need extra help, drop by our Jailbreak Forum! - Rene]

[You're tempted. We know you are. We are too. Even with the App Store, Jailbreaking is the ultimate in iPhone forbidden fruit. So what will it take to push us over the edge? How about the top 5 killer Apps. Stuff Apple will never allow in the official store? Jeremy rounds them up for us below, and if you do decide to take the plunge, he has you covered with full tutorials on how to Jailbreak the iPhone 3G with Quickpwn for Windows PCs, Mac OS X, how to Jailbreak and Unlock the original iPhone 2G.]

Our forums have been buzzing lately with members asking "why should I jailbrake?" Well today TiPb brings you some of the very best reasons: the top 5 must have Jailbreak Apps!

What are they and what do they do? Read on after the jump!

1. Winterboard

For those of you who really want to trick out your iPhone's user interface, look no further than Winterboard. Using the Winterboard you can apply whole skins to your device or just specific parts of it. The things you can customize include App icons, wallpaper, and even the statusbar, dock, etc. You can spend an entire day tweaking your UI to your liking. For the best guide I've seen for Winterboard, check out this link here.

2. BossPrefs

While you can remove Apps, WebClips, etc, from your device by just tapping and holding, then simply tapping the "X" icon, the built-in Apple icons are not removeable on your iPhone. This is where BossPrefs comes into play. Install it to get extra options for configuring your device, including "Poof!" a section where you can disable icons, even if they are fixed ones like iTunes or Weather.

3. Intelliscreen

This next little gem of an App was reviewed back in May by Casey. Have you ever needed to check your Mail but didn't have time to thumb through your iPhone to check it out? Intelliscreen by Intelliborn allows for easy access to information on your iPhone lock screen, such as Mail and SMS messages, iCal dates, news stories, sports scores, and more. If you are a fan of widgets on your PC or Mac, or the Today Screen on Windows Mobile devices, you'll love Intelliscreen.

4. Backgrounder

This App is one that I told you about this past week. It's called Backgrounder, and it simply allows you to run official App Store apps in the background. Imagine that, the ability to multitask right on your iPhone! Try this app out, you will not regret it! Here's how you use it:

You just press and hold the home key while running any application. After a few seconds, the Backgrounding Enabled pop-up appears. Release the home button and go about your business. Backgrounder automatically returns you to SpringBoard. To quit the background application, re-launch it from SpringBoard, then press and hold Home until the Backgrounding Disabled pop-up appears.

5. Categories

Categories allows you to create folders on your desktop. This gives you the ability to organize your home screens in ways far beyond anything Apple currently provides. When you add an App to a category, it is taken from the Springboard list so that it no longer shows up on the home screen. When you remove the app from the category it is returned back to the Springboard. In other words, instead of scrolling from screen to screen, you can have one screen containing all of your App folders for instant access to what you want. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. Below is a picture of what a games folder would look like when opened from the springboard.

*Since Categories edits system files, be sure to check out the Help section before using this App to avoid any complications. It gives you step by step directions.

Conclusion

So there you have it, you wanted to know the top 5 Apps out there and TiPb comes through and gives you the answer! This list of must-have jailbroken apps should keep you busy for quite some time along with giving your iPhone a fresh new look! For more information about jailbreaking please visit our jailbreaking apps forum, our members are always willing to help you out!

Today on the forums we have a few interesting poll threads for you.

The cat is out of Apple's bag regarding the 2.2 beta firmware and we want to know exactly what feature you most want to see added??? Take a look at the options and make your vote!

In the next poll we want to know how you spend most of your time on your iPhone? Browsing the internet? Talking on the phone? Emailing perhaps? Let us know!

Are you still on the fence about jailbreaking your iPhone? hermdog started a thread that lists a few good reasons why you should jailbreak! Jailbreaking really does open your phone up to another world. So if you know of any good apps that not many people are aware of, please post it up for others to check out.

Join our growing community and get in on the conversation!

See you on the forums!

Disclaimer - Neither TiPb nor I take any responsibility for any problems/issues/bricking/etc. that may occur while using this software to modify your iPhone. Please be aware of what you are doing.

IMPORTANT: If you have a iPhone 3G that you want to unlock you must use the preserving baseband method - only available on Macs.

There has been a lot of buzz going on in the forums regarding jailbreaking the iPhone 2.2.1 firmware lately, and a lot of questions to go along with i t!. Today we're going to take a deeper look at the exact steps you have to take to get your iPhone jailbroken on your Mac.

Let's get started, after the jump!

1. Get the Tools

All good? Okay, next make sure your iPhone is not connected to your Mac. Then create a new folder on your desktop and name it "Pwnage". Next you will need to download the following tools:

• QuickPwn
• 2.2.1 Firmware IPSW for first generation iPhone (2G) OR 2.2.1 Firmware IPSW for iPhone 3G 

[BE SURE TO SELECT THE PROPER FIRMWARE VERSION, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT]

2. Install the Tools

3. Launch QuickPwn

4. Connect your iPhone

5. Begin Pwnage!

Now the software will search for the 2.2.1 ipsw firmware file you downloaded a few minutes ago.

6. Customize Your iPwn

Now QuickPwn will create your custom IPSW file.

Once that process is complete you must enter in your OS X system password to continue. (Just like when you update certain applications).

7. PAY ATTENTION: Here's the Tricky Part

First turn off your device.

Next, you will be prompted to hold down both the home and power button for 10 seconds.

Lastly, you will release the power button while you continue to hold down the home button for another 10 seconds.

8. Sit Back and Wait

Be patient while QuickPwn is modifying your iPhone. It will take a few minutes. [Do NOT do anything to your computer or iPhone while this process is taking place]

Your phone will the reboot and once it starts back up you will see the Installer app along with Cydia, and you are done!

9. We Have Jailbreak!

Now wasn't that simple?

We'll be back soon with our Windows PC edition, and in the meantime if you want more information or help troubleshooting please head over to our section of the forums dedicated to jailbreaking. There are plenty of members of our community that can help you out!

Just how badly do you want copy and paste? Here at TiPb we have covered several stories revolving around copy and paste, go ahead and take a look, it may just make your head spin.

Who knows if Apple will ever include copy and paste in a future firmware update... Until that day comes, if it does come, we have to rely on other means.  Namely jailbreaking.  This is where CopierciN comes into play. It is latest attempt to bring us a very simple, yet effective, feature and is now available for jailbreakers via Cydia.

CopierciN is a basic text editor which, hopefully, bring some kind of copy/paste mechanism to iPhone (to jailbroken ones only, unfortunately). It does not add copy/paste functionality directly to other applications but it provides a mechanism to import text from and export text to SMS, Notes, Mail applications (more to come in the future) and files in the filesystem. Clever, isn’t it?

Keep in mind it is a beta application, but if you've jailbroken your iPhone, go ahead and give it a try! You can find it in Cydia, under the BigBoss repository, under utilities. Let us know how it works for you.

(Via Gizmodo)  

Here and TiPb we like to protect our readers from all that is evil. Well today we have a little warning from the Dev Team regarding the fake QuickPwn sites on the internet.

We would just like to point out that that there are lots of fake sites using the QuickPwn name, these muppets don’t know anything special, and they don’t have anything unique. They are vultures that sit on the domain names and plagiarize content and information in the hope that you donate to them, or click the google ads.

As we’ve mentioned before we don’t accept donations and we certainly don’t allow ads on our site, anyone who asks for donations in our name is lying, end of story.

There have been a few readers lately inquiring about unlocking of the iPhone 3G. Lets put all these rumors to rest right now. There is currently NO software unlock for the iPhone 3G. The only way possible (which I would not recommend even to my worst enemy), is a SIM unlock. For more information regarding the dangers of those please head to our forums.

If it's not on the Dev Teams official web site, please think twice about downloading it and using it.

[Via iPhone.-dev.org]