Vodafone had sued T-Mobile in Germany over the fact that the iPhone can only be used in T-Mobile's network. After a bit of back and forth, T-Mobile is now going to sell unlocked iPhones, at least for a limited time (I can't find an English-speaking source, but there is an
article in Spiegel). You too can own an unlocked iPhone for only €999 (almost $1500 at the current exchange rate)! Also, if you bought yours in Germany after November 19, you can have it unlocked for free.
I guess we now know that the iPhone is subsidized, if not by the carriers then by Apple. I'm sure there was a provision for unlocked phones in the contract between Apple and carriers all along, especially in Europe. T-Mobile has announced that they will look into their options, and possibly countersue Vodafone for damages, so the fun continues. Plus, the launch of the iPhone in France is promising even more fun, due to the way French law does not seem to even allow tying a phone to a carrier for a limited time.
Edit:
ArsTechnica has the story now in English.