>But as soon as I pick someone else's lock without permission, it very much is a crime.

The analogy is broken and doesn't apply.

The better analogy would be someone installing a lock on your property which you have the right to enter and use, and you going to jail for breaking the lock.

In real world, of course you can break someone's lock without permission when they put it on your property without getting your permission to do it.

And you buying property means the locks are no longer someone else's. They are yours to pick, cut off, melt, or throw into volcanoes.

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amanaplanacanal a day ago | parent [-]

Nowadays, it wouldn't be your property, you just licensed it from the manufacturer.

	▲	alterom 15 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Even so. If your landlord decides to put an extra lock on the unit you're renting, breaking that lock is not a crime. It's a rental contract violation, maybe, depending on jurisdiction. Your landlord may try to charge you for the cost of the lock if you destroy it. Picking the lock to get access to the property you are legally entitled to have access to is not a crime.