Legal worries delay iPhone unlocking software

Fear of litigation has led to an indefinite delay in the planned Saturday release of software to unlock Apple’s iPhone.

John McLaughlin, founder of Uniquephones, based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, said Saturday that he received a phone call about 3 a.m. Saturday local time from a man claiming to be from O’Melveny & Myers, an international law firm, calling on behalf of AT&T. The firm has worked with Apple in the past.

The man informed McLaughlin that if he posted the unlock code, he could be sued for copyright infringement and for dissemination of Apple’s intellectual property.

McLaughlin was not completely awake when he took the call and did not get the full name of the person on the other end, he said. The man presented “friendly advice,” but because of the timing of the call and the fact that it came on a personal mobile phone that McLaughlin never uses for business, it felt more threatening than friendly.

“If he wants to give me advice, he could have sent me an e-mail,” McLaughlin said.

Spokespeople with O’Melveny & Myers, AT&T Wireless and Apple could not be immediately reached for comment Saturday.

Macworld: News: Legal worries delay iPhone unlocking software