Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Court Addresses Legality of Shrinkwrap Licenses

Posted by michael on from the pays-your-money-and-takes-your-chances dept.

NullProg writes "This article here comments on a legal case where a shrink-wrap license may be binding. This a scary precedent for any developer who has added a feature to their software already present in a competitors version."

4 of 282 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Fortunately, I've protected myself from EULAs by EvanED · · Score: 5, Funny

    I like the idea :)

    You have to give them the opportunity to exit though. Here's what I suggest: post a big poster that says "By walking through this door you agree to the Door User License Agreement (DULA), the terms of which are posted on the inside of the door." Make it big enough that that part won't be missed by anyone entering. Put it on the outside of the door.

    Also, technically the BSA doesn't have the authority to void contracts between you and a company such as MS, so you'd have to add a clause like "The persons using said door hereby agree to furnish all disbursements incured by the owner of the structure located on the property at in any civil or criminal trials brought about by the persons entering said structure, any organisations they are associated with, and any organisations said organisations are associated with or anyone associated with any of the above." (With thanks to m-w.com's Thesarus for a couple of those words, to make it more complex)

  2. Re:Why not? by fanatic · · Score: 4, Funny

    A look inside "the Color of Magic" by Terry Pratchett show the following. "All rights reserved.

    Gee that proves it. If you'd opened the book (after paying for it and taking it home) and found a licensing agreement requiring you to give the author and the publisher blowjobs on alternate wednesdays, would you be bound by that too? If so, I've got stuff to sell you....

    Sorry, Jack, if you want anything more than the requirments of law, you better have my signature on some piece of paper. Otherwise, go away.

    --
    "that's not encryption - it's a new perl script that I'm working on..." - from some Matrix parody
  3. Re:Kids by ZillaVilla · · Score: 2, Funny

    then the kid would be illegal because the kid would become your circumvention device to get around the EULA.

    --
    ZillaVilla.com for Mozilla profile roaming.
  4. Re:Kids by ckd · · Score: 3, Funny
    the kid would be illegal because the kid would become your circumvention device to get around the EULA

    And since it's illegal to manufacture a circumvention device, anyone concerned about the DMCA should definitely use birth control.