Unlocking Cellphones Becomes Illegal Saturday in the U.S.

Re:Unlocking Cellphones Becomes Illegal Saturday in the U.S. by halvsjur on Thursday January 24, 2013 @01:08PM (#5111050)

I'm always amazed at what Americans let slide of governmental abuse as long as big private companies profit. I find it difficult to comprehend that even hard core libertarians will defend laws like these.

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Re:Unlocking Cellphones Becomes Illegal Saturday in the U.S. by icelancer on Thursday January 24, 2013 @01:57PM (#5111363)

Why would hardcore libertarians defend laws like these? It's an obvious market restriction.

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Re:Unlocking Cellphones Becomes Illegal Saturday in the U.S. by halvsjur on Thursday January 24, 2013 @02:38PM (#5111652)

Just an observation on my part. Americans who call themselves libertarian often seem to be reflexively pro-corporate, even when it flies right in the face of their professed ideals.

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Re:Unlocking Cellphones Becomes Illegal Saturday in the U.S. by orangecat on Thursday January 24, 2013 @11:34PM (#5113973)

Americans who call themselves libertarian often seem to be reflexively pro-corporate

That's not been my experience. Organizations like reason.com and the Cato Institute regularly criticize businesses that use government regulations to stifle competition and restrict the rights of customers. A solid majority of libertarians support either eliminating or substantially weakening IP laws. (There is a minority that believes that IP be treated the same as physical property, with infinite copyright terms and other silliness).

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Re:Unlocking Cellphones Becomes Illegal Saturday in the U.S. by jiggy2011 on Thursday January 24, 2013 @03:23PM (#5111958)

My primitive reading of libertarian philosophy in this case would go something along the lines of: Companies should lobby for whatever regulation/deregulation benefits them because they are rational actors in a free market.

However the government should not have the power to actually grant this.

I suppose a hardcore libertarian might allow a contract clause which allows the phone network to hire someone to shoot you in the face if you unlock your phone.

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Re:Unlocking Cellphones Becomes Illegal Saturday in the U.S. by icelancer on Thursday January 24, 2013 @05:13PM (#5112620)

"Should" is a little loaded; I would say "Companies would be expected to lobby..."

But yeah I think your interpretation is correct.

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Re:Unlocking Cellphones Becomes Illegal Saturday in the U.S. by zem on Thursday January 24, 2013 @07:56PM (#5113301)

my general observation is that libertarians don't object to "i'm bigger than you, and therefore i get my way", just to "i'm the government and therefore i get my way". nowhere is this thrown into sharper relief than when discussing "i'm the government and therefore i say you cannot use the fact that you're bigger to get your way".

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Re:Unlocking Cellphones Becomes Illegal Saturday in the U.S. by bjorn2404 on Thursday January 24, 2013 @02:01PM (#5111396)

Yes, it's also obvious that the government is in bed with the corporations (crony capitalism).

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