Description: CR submitted comments to the Copyright Office in the current round of its “Triennial Review” under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, in which it considers proposals to exempt particular kinds of accessing and altering of software in products, to adapt their use in ways that do not infringe on any underlying copyright. This exemption process is a safety valve created by Congress to help ensure that the DMCA’s prohibition against accessing and altering software does not block legitimate adaptations of products. At this initial stage, we are supporting renewal of seven exemptions that are particularly important to consumers. Exemptions granted in one Triennial Review automatically expire at the end of the following Triennial Review unless their renewal is applied for and granted.
For many years, Consumer Reports has led the effort to obtain and renew the exemption to permit the “unlocking” of mobile phones and other personal wireless devices so consumers can choose which wireless network they will subscribe to, thus promoting competition, consumer choice, and sustainability. The comments we filed September 8 support renewing the following exemptions: