If cars dealerships also owned their own network of fuel stations. They sell you the car for cheap but require you to use their network of expensive fuel stations for x years. The cars have an encrypted chip that detects if its connected to the specific approved gas station when filling. Now if you try and sell it there is no real market because the buyer can only use it at the specific dealerships gas network and that dealership could also lock that buyer out if it chose.
Now someone has gained access to the car dealerships database and unlocked a bunch of cars for a fee. Is that good or bad I donno.
I think the important thing to remember is that whatever "artificial software limitation" is imposed on the phone was done so with the knowledge of the person signing the contract when the phone was leased. At least I have to assume it is called out in the contract.
Even in the GP post its not "your" car. You don't "own" the car when you lease-to-own you are renting it under a contract which gives you very specific right to "own" the car at the time of your last payment or when you are able to pay it in full. Ownership is determined by the name on the Title Certificate which would be in the dealership's name until you make the final payment or pay it off beforehand in full.