In the US, they offer to legalize the removal of SIM lock and bypass DRM

The Unlocking Technology Act of 2013, proposing to allow the unlocking of mobile phones and other mobile devices, has been submitted to the American Congress, writes Mashable.

The bill also provides for the legalization of circumvention of copyright protection technology (DRM) in cases where the use of protected content will not violate copyright laws. In addition, the authors of the bill want to allow the development and sale of software to unlock the phone.

The bill was submitted to the House of Representatives by two Republicans Zo Lofgren and Thomas Massey and Democrat Jared Polis. Lofgren and Policy in particular are known for their active involvement in the development of technology laws.

The bill was preceded by a lobbying campaign led by copyright activists Sina Hanifar and Derek Hannah. They launched a campaign in January when the director of the Library of Congress did not include SIM lock removal in the updated list of exceptions to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA).

The Director of the Library of Congress has the right to update the list of exemptions from the DMCA every three years. Written in 1998, the DMCA prohibits the creation or sale of anti-piracy software for digital content. It also prohibits bypassing the lock to use protected content, regardless of whether the alleged use was a violation of copyright.

Sina Hanifar published a petition on the White House website calling for permission to unlock phones, which by the beginning of March was supported by 114,000 Americans. The White House in response stated that it supported the legalization of unlocking, making it clear that the president would sign the bill as soon as he was on his desk.