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Court Addresses Legality of Shrinkwrap Licenses
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."
Because the GPL agreement adds rights, whereas most shrinkwrap agreements subtract rights from those provided by US law.
A contract that I 'freely' enter into, in which I agree to become your property would be legally invalid, as an example. Certain rights cannot be waived. Not that I think the rights involved are inalienable, just that they shouldn't be so easily and totally abbrogated.
The arguement that you own the CD, but must be given additional rights to copy it to your computer, or into memory, is specious. US Law provides that such acts as required for basic use of a purchased product are not cases of copyright infringing behavior.
"Should a closed source vendor be able to look over GPLd software code to see how something was done with the intention of using it in their products?"
No of course not and neither should anyone else be able to steal code. But this is about reverse engineering. And yes closed source vendors should have the right to reverse engineer any feature in any piece of software they see. But keep in mind that in order to reverse engineer something and be legal you have to have *never* seen the code. So the GPL and the BSD licenses are friendly to reverse engineering because the only thing those two licences concern themselves with is the code. This is not the case with shrinkwrap licenses. Without reverse engineering I would dare say that very few of us would have tech jobs just because things would never have moved as fast as they have. Also odd as it is to say MS should be on the right side on this fight because without reverse engineering they would not be around today. In short next time read the article before posting flamebait.
Cypherpunks: Civil Liberty Through Complex Mathematics. Those who live by the sword die by the arrow.
At the extreme end of the spectrum, a world completely without the concept of intellectual property would also be without the overhead incurred by all this bickering. Does open source cut out most of this crap or just create new varieties?
with a Door-User License Agreement. By walking through my door, anyone, including the BSA, agrees to free me of any obligation due to a EULA or similar license agreement.
That way, if they try to claim that I'm bound by their EULA because I allegedly clicked a button after buying the software, I'll have an equally valid counter claim that they freed me of their's by actually walking through my door. Not my fault they didn't read all the terms and conditions before using my doorway!
The DULA is posted on the *inside* of the door, of course.
This is becoming ridiculous (actually the line where "ridiculous" starts was left behind several years ago I guess). As the article points out, reverse engineering is commonplace, and helps all software evolve and improve. The ruling effectively makes it illegal for any company, or individual, to learn and improve their products if their improvements have already been implemented by another company.
So a few decades ago, if someone had thought to use a switch block instead of 10 if{}else statements, it would prevent anyone else doing the same. Or maybe Carmack could have put the smack down on anyone else using unchained modeX and raycasting to create an fps.
Really, if the patent/copyright situation of today were in place 200 years ago, we'd still be riding around in horse-drawn carts and reading books (presuming said book was our own personal copy, not to be shared by any other family or friends) in our hovels at night by candlelight today. When are these companies going to realize that this pathetic squabbling is just serving the soul-less, grinning, moneygrabbing lawyers and they're just digging themselves into trenches so deep they'll never make it out again?
Code, Hardware, stuff like that.
The article concludes by making the excellent point that if the United States chooses to cripple its technological development by the means of overly restrictive intellectual property licenses, it will eventually see the torch of intellectual leadership pass to other nations.
This can't be stressed enough. Most people don't understand what's wrong with e.g. some company owning the rights to jpeg practically forever. The average American couldn't care in the slightest about such things except insofar as IP laws prevent them from downloading mp3 files. We (Americans) really need to convince our friends, neighbors, Congresscritters, etc., that such laws are really a disaster for the country as a whole...because, er, otherwise...the terrorists have won!
There are two kinds of people: 1) those who start arrays with one and 1) those who start them with zero.
No, they don't. No one has a "right to expect to derive revenue". Hypothetical: I just punched six holes in the concrete blocks in my apartment. I think it's art. I also think that you're obligated to pay me for my art. After all, I have "every right to expect to derive revenue from the work" I do.
Of course this is just silly. Unlike grammar school, you aren't rewarded for effort. You are rewarded for success -- for providing a good or service at a price someone else is willing to pay. If you can't add value using your business model, then too bad... you don't deserve some handout to enable you to follow your model.
The guy digging a hole doesn't deserve a paycheck, either, unless there's someone who wants a hole dug enough to pay him. Or do you suggest he go around digging holes in people's lawns and demanding money?
The issue here, as with all intellectual output, is: To what extent should the state enforce a framework under which you can make money writing software? Because in the state of nature, you wouldn't be able to... it's too easy to replicate -- far easier than to create -- and so you couldn't sell your software. Someone could always buy one copy and then undercut your price.
We invent intellectual output law to create an artificial scarcity. This pumps up the value of the output. In return, the public expects this to encourage to production of new and better works, since there is an incentive. If the shrinkwrap license punishes legitimate reverse engineering and other competitive tactics, then it's pretty clear that the public's need is not being met. And in this case, the public should take its football and go home...
I don't know if "real people" create for free. I've seen a lot of damn fine amateur work, made with no hope of compensation and for no gain save the sheer joy of creation. And of course, Mozart went on composing even though no copyright law existed in his day. Of course, that meant he didn't make money off copies; he had a different model.
The field of intellectual output -- and the just compensation for such -- is much more complex than you seem to wish.
The Mongrel Dogs Who Teach
I have came to the realization that I am a criminal in their eyes. and I give up, I throw my hand up and surrender.. and I ignore and blateltly violate their EULAS and the corperate laws. Screw em. It's only a matter of time before Open Source and Linux/BSD is deemed illegal because it is a circumvention device. So I decided that I am not going to abide by any of their EULAS. I ignore them and intentionally violate them! the software police can kiss my ass, I dont care anymore. I use a very tiny bit of non-free software... but I guarentee that I violate the EULA in one way or another. so I digress and I no longer care.
Screw em. screw em all... I now take the stance that anyone using software that has an EULA is a criminal, as I am a criminal... and us thieves will go on doing what we want and hoping and praying that they dont come knocking on our doors looking for our software.
I give up. Innovation is dead, thought is dead, freedom is slavery.
I really hope they're happy now... as they are creating a gigantic number of criminals by persuing their current path.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.