The Unlocking Technology Act of 2013 is a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

proposed bi-partisan bill that aims to allow circumvention of

digital rights management Digital rights management (DRM) is the management of legal access to digital content. Various tools or technological protection measures (TPM) such as access control technologies can restrict the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. ...

as long as there is no intention of

copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...

. The bill would legalize actions such as cell

phone unlocking SIM lock, simlock, network lock, carrier lock or (master) subsidy lock is a technical restriction built into GSM and CDMA mobile phones by mobile phone manufacturers for use by service providers to restrict the use of these phones to specific coun ...

and creating versions of copyrighted works specifically designed to be accessible to blind (visually impaired) users. Section 2 of the bill would also require the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the Department of Commerce to issue a report on the impact of 17 U.S.C. 1201 on consumer choice, competition, and free flow of information. The bipartisan bill introduced by

Zoe Lofgren Susan Ellen "Zoe" Lofgren ( ; born December 21, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from California. A member of the Democratic Party, Lofgren is in her 13th term in Congress, having been first elected in 1 ...

(D-CA) had three cosponsors:

Thomas Massie Thomas Harold Massie (born January 13, 1971) is an American politician and businessman. A member of the Republican Party, Massie has been the United States representative for Kentucky's 4th congressional district since 2012, when he defeated Bi ...

(R-KY),

Anna Eshoo Anna A. Eshoo ( ; née Georges; born December 13, 1942) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from . She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 14th district from 1993 to 2013, is based in Silico ...

(D-CA) and

Jared Polis Jared Schutz Polis (; born May 12, 1975) is an American politician, entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist, serving as the 43rd governor of Colorado since January 2019. He served one term on the Colorado State Board of Education from 200 ...

(D-CO). On 8 May 2013, the bill was assigned to two committees House Judiciary and House Ways and Means. House Ways and Means had taken no action on the bill. House Judiciary reassigned the bill to the Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet subcommittee which has taken no action on the bill. Since being introduced the bill garnered four more co-sponsors:

Peter DeFazio Peter Anthony DeFazio (; born May 27, 1947) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving since 1987. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes Eugene, Springfield, Corvallis, Roseburg, Coos Bay ...

(D-OR4) (joined May 16, 2013), Rush Holt (D-NJ12) (joined May 16, 2013),

Steve Israel Steven J. Israel (born May 30, 1958) is an American political commentator, lobbyist, author, bookseller and former politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from New York from 2001 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected ...

(D-NY3) (joined Jul 08, 2013), and

Sam Farr Samuel Sharon Farr (born July 4, 1941) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for California's 17th (1993–2013) and 20th congressional districts (2013–17). He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected to Cong ...

(D-CA20) (joined Jul 30, 2013). Numerous organizations have endorsed the bill, including

Public Knowledge Public Knowledge is a non-profit Washington, D.C.-based public interest group. Founded in 2001 by David Bollier and Gigi Sohn, Public Knowledge is primarily involved in the fields of intellectual property law, competition and choice in the digita ...

Generation Opportunity Generation Opportunity was a center-right political advocacy organization in the United States focused on economic policy and aimed at young adults. It was a sister organization to the Americans for Prosperity-led political network initially fund ...

, R Street,

Cascade Policy Institute Cascade Policy Institute is a non-profit and non-partisan American libertarian think tank based in Oregon that focuses on state and local issues. Founded in 1991, the institute advocates limited government in cost and size, and promotes privatizat ...

Harbour League Harbour League were a franchise in the now defunct Bartercard Cup rugby league competition in New Zealand. They represented Aucklands North Shore City. They were formed in 2006 to take over from the Hibiscus Coast Raiders and the North Harbour ...

, and

Let Freedom Ring ''Let Freedom Ring'' is an album by jazz saxophonist Jackie McLean, recorded in 1962 and released on the Blue Note label.

. On March 24, 2015, the bill was reintroduced as .

References