The U.S. Library of Congress today issued a set of exemptions to an infamous provision in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), establishing a victory for consumers who like to tinker with devices without running afoul of copyright law. The exemptions are far-reaching, extending from movie and television files used in an educational context for criticism to installing third-party software — in other words jailbreaking — tablets and smart TVs. They will however only last for three years.
The Library of Congress meets about every 36 months to decide new exemptions and re-establish previous exemptions to the DMCA’s 1201 provision. That provision has made it illegal in the past to unlock your smartphone from its carrier or even to share your HBO Go password with a friend.
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This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
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