There's a wonderful article up on CrunchGear at the moment by Devin Coldewey, entitled the The User’s Manifesto: in defense of hacking, modding, and jailbreaking, in which the author presents a very intelligent and well-reasoned analysis of the scene, pointing out all the legal pros and cons from every angle. True, the article is USA-centric and doesn't mention Symbian, but all the same points apply equally to the modding scene on our devices in the rest of the world (e.g. my own i8910 HD HX adventures). Worth a read.

"The reasoning and explanation above can basically be boiled down to a few basic laws. It seems to me that as long as you stay within these bounds, you should be free from prosecution and criticism.

Do no harm

Hacking your device should not affect anybody else’s user experience. If you break any laws, you should be the only potential victim.

Be informed

The risks you take are your own, and you should thoroughly research anything you’re thinking of doing. Don’t pretend cracking open your 360 or jailbreaking your iPhone is a trivial act.

Accept the consequences

You’re giving up your warranty and all the benefits that come with it. You may also be committing a crime.

But if you’re okay with all that…

Do what thou wilt

No one can tell you what to do with your property in the comfort of your home or on your person."

Great article, Devin!