They did renew the exemption, but they limited it to only apply to devices purchased before January 2013. Their mandate is to only provide exemptions for cases

They did renew the exemption, but they limited it to only apply to devices purchased before January 2013. Their mandate is to only provide exemptions for cases that really really need it, and their reasoning for limiting the exemption was that carriers had relaxed their policies for officially unlocking phones (such as AT&T starting to unlock out-of-contract phones). Here's the statement that the Copyright Office published: http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2012/2012-26308_PI.pdf http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2012/2012-26308_PI.pdf - the unlocking exemption is discussed on pages 16-20.