Jcshannon05
Member
Just out of sheer curiosity... is it legal or illegal to own/use a rooted Droid? I could honestly care less.
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
Just out of sheer curiosity... is it legal or illegal to own/use a rooted Droid? I could honestly care less.
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
It is your phone. It does void the warranty that comes with the phone, but that is not illegal. It is your choice to access root authority.
VZ's contract says that installing unofficial software is grounds for cancelling an account.
As far as the government caring, I suppose the FCC could come down on you if your ROM somehow caused interference or something. Not sure that is even possible with software. I think it's legal then, but I am not a lawyer.
It is against Verizon's contract with you to "operate" a modified phone on their network but they have no way of detecting/knowing your phone is modified.
Yep .... but they probably could pull something since you have altered the phone out of warranty. There is a question of legality with tethering since we aren't paying for it though.It is your phone. It does void the warranty that comes with the phone, but that is not illegal. It is your choice to access root authority.
Just out of sheer curiosity... is it legal or illegal to own/use a rooted Droid? I could honestly care less.
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
VZ's contract says that installing unofficial software is grounds for cancelling an account.
As far as the government caring, I suppose the FCC could come down on you if your ROM somehow caused interference or something. Not sure that is even possible with software. I think it's legal then, but I am not a lawyer.
Please provide a link concerning unofficial software. My phone comes with an option to do just this. It lets me install programs not from the market. Are those also unofficial? What specific language in the contract spells out what software is unofficial?
One you purchase the phone it is your phone. It is legal for you to throw it in the toilet, .......
I see a lot of "you own it" references here and in other threads. In fact, it's not that simple. When you "purchase" your phone in the context of a two year (or one year) contract, you are in effect entering a "lease to buy" relationship with Verizon. Until you pay off the total purchase price of the phone you don't "own" the phone. Verizon retains a lien against it. You may, of course, purchase a phone without such an associated contract but few people in the US do this. It might help to think of a somewhat analogous situation. If you lease an automobile you are entering a similar contract. The lessor can prohibit you from making certain changes to the car or using it for certain purposes, e.g. professional racing. Is it "illegal" to make those changes or engage in that behavior? No. Can the lessor demand that you pay off the lease if you do? You betcha. You are, after all, making a change in a vehicle in which another party retains an ownership interest. Of course in the case of phone (unlike a car) the carrier doesn't want the phone back at the end of the contract. (It has no "residual" value.) That's why they lock you into a contract until the entire value of the phone is recovered. The bottom line is that while you may believe you have "purchased" a phone from Verizon, what you have actually done is enter a contractual relationship with Verizon to pay off the full cost of the phone AND to use their network for a period of up to two years. If you modify your phone and/or use the phone on their network in a way that Verizon prohibits, they can demand that you pay for doing so. P.S. Sorry for the formatting problems above... Browser problems.