Apple: Jailbreaking an iPhone = copyright infringement & DMCA violation

It seems that Apple is growing tired of iPhone jailbreakers getting a free ride and is pushing to make jailbreaking illegal:

Jailbreaking an iPhone constitutes copyright infringement and a DMCA violation, says Apple in comments filed with the Copyright Office as part of the 2009 DMCA triennial rulemaking. This marks the first formal public statement by Apple about its legal stance on iPhone jailbreaking.

Apple's iPhone, now the best-selling cellular phone in the U.S., has been designed with restrictions that prevent owners from running applications obtained from sources other than Apple's own iTunes App Store. "Jailbreaking" is the term used for removing these restrictions, thereby liberating your phone from Apple's software "jail." Estimates put the number of iPhone owners who have jailbroken their phones in the hundreds of thousands.

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While this is undoubtedly FUD, it also serves as a clear indication of Apple's growing dissatisfaction with those who jailbreak their iPhone. Since trying to make the jailbreak process harder hasn't worked, the company is now trying to get the law on its side.