Most of us just blindly click “I ACCEPT” when presented with those user license agreements when we install software. I think I would pay a lot more attention if they were all give dramatic readings, like this one actor Richard Dreyfuss did of the Apple iTunes EULA. [More]
eulas
Companies Can Forbid You To Resell Your Software, Court Rules
By 9.13.10
A California court has ruled that software makers can forbid buyers from reselling a copy of a program they bought. This is not about people making illegal copies of games, this is about buying a CD with a program on it and not being able to resell that CD. Expect this to go to appeal, but watch out, Gamestop. [More]
Apple And Audible Refuse To Sell Author's Audiobooks Without DRM Or Abusive Licensing Agreement
By 12.11.09
Cory Doctorow is self-publishing a book and documenting the process for Publishers Weekly. His latest column is about selling audiobook versions of his past works, and how both Apple and Audible have refused to budge on their anti-consumer policies when it comes to digital rights management (DRM) and end user license agreements (EULAs). Even though both companies get paid the same either way, and even though both Doctorow and his publisher, Random House, want to sell the content without these restrictions, Apple and Audible have said no. [More]
Fuji EULA Dictates What Pictures You Can Take
By 1.25.08
When you crack open the seal on a high-end Fuji camera, Fuji gets to tell you what kind of pictures you get to take. We’re all for ethical behavior and not invading people’s privacy, but come on. Increasingly these End User License Agreements go too far in telling people what they can do with the stuff they buy with the money they earned. Hey there’s an idea, write an EULA on your dollars when you give it to the store stipulating how they can spend the money you give them. “By accepting these dollars you agree to…”
Verizon Specifies How You're Allowed To Link To Its Site
By 5.4.07
Harry Maugans discovered that Verizon thinks it can stipulate how you link to their website.
Cingular Thinks It Can Sue You For Linking To Its Website
By 5.3.07
Cingular thinks it can determine who gets to link to their website, according to this snippet from their terms of service agreement. Somehow their lawyers operate under this misconception that they’re in a position of being to grant, or revoke, the “right” to create a hypertextual link to their site. The likely intent is to try to set the stage so that then they could basically sue someone for linking to their website.
Quicken And MS Money Are ExtortionWare
By 3.28.07
Both Quicken and MS Money sneak these “sunset” clauses in their end user license agreements, giving them carte blanche to completely disable major parts of their functionality if they feel like it. These features include online bill pay, downloading any financial information, portfolio tracking, and more. Basically, all the cool stuff.
The Devil Is In The Fine Print
By 10.25.06
Viacom workers have to agree that Viacom owns anything they ever make in the “universe,” in, “perpetuity.” Use of the Yahoo! Toolbar expressly prohibits use of the technology to operate nuclear facilities.
