We reported yesterday that iPhone unlocking software has been successfully made and will be offered for sale shortly. Since then, unlocking software has been lining up and it now seems like we have a whole bunch of them to chose from. But the question is; is it legal to unlock an iPhone for use with other networks? I mean, some of the guys are already receiving unpleasant phone calls.

Engadget tackles the question in the first article of their Know Your Rights series. They have an in-house attorney that will be answering questions about your digital rights. This week, and how appropriate, the question is about unlocking the iPhone. So what’s their answer?

Well, this seemingly simple question proved to be hard to answer. According to the DMCA, it’s NOT illegal to unlock your phone for “for the sole purpose of lawfully connecting to a wireless telephone communication network.” So basically we can unlock it for personal use.

However, Engadget’s attorney also mentions the fact that this is a pretty narrow rule, and that Apple and AT&T may find some other law to sue you for breaking. But let’s look at it realistically; Apple are’t likely to sue you for unlocking your iPhone and neither are AT&T. If you’re not selling them in large quantities on eBay, then you’ve got nothing to worry about except losing your warranty.

And Apple is probably busy anyways, bringing us some new iPods.

Via Engadget.