Fighting Back Against EULAs

An anonymous reader writes: "Fed up with increasingly obnoxious click-through "agreements" embedded in the retail software I buy, I've posted a very simple script to remove them before clicking "I agree". Without the EULA, I am free to use my software within the bounds of copyright law. Courts have been very inconsistent on the enforceability of EULAs, and I hope this will strengthen consumers' side of the battle. The script is a symbolic gesture as much as anything else, and I want to get people thinking about how ridiculous it is that software companies try to force these one-sided contracts on you after you have paid for something. Also worth a look is cexx.org's Software Vendor License Agreement, which reverses the typical EULA and puts the burden back on the software manufacturer where it belongs."

Comments

Lets have fun with EULAs...

[Xunker]

I'm going to write some fantastic whizz-bang piece of software just for the pleasure of writting a EULA with a clause that goes "The lisencee of this product must wear a gorilla suit while using said product. Upon violation of this clause, the lisencee agrees to send the author Five (5) kiliograms of Reeses-Pieces(TM) Brand Peanutbutter candies."

Crossing your fingers means you don't promise

[JimmytheGeek]

By long-standing common law precedent, if you cross your fingers while you click, you don't have to abide by the terms. If you feel like going the extra mile, you can tell the dialogue box in person that you don't accept some or all of the provisions.

Re:A much easier way around it

[Andy_R]

Careful, you are now legally prohibited by the DMCA from creating any countermeasures to software protection, so you had better get some contraceptives right away or you could end up going to jail.