Apple states they will unlock phones if there is a clear chain of ownership from the person who locked the phone to begin with. Customer service reps will back this up but the unlocking department won't unlock it even if you have a verified chain of ownership paperwork. After a few months of trying a Apple rep explained that any phone purchased through ebay won't be unlocked as a matter of "unwritten" policy even if the chain of ownership is clear and the ESN is clean.