On Fri, 2002-05-03 at 02:12, Damian G wrote:

> > Well, someone who cannot post to the list because his ISP is out picking 
> > daisies and not supplying reverse resolution sent me a missive pointing 
> > out that no one buys Windows.  It is a license one buys, nothing more. 
> 
> 
> 
> hi Civileme.
> 
> uhm.. i do not agree with that part, nor do i think a proper trial would,
> just like the case of that guy that god sued by Adobe for reselling.
> 
> "as long as the transaction has the form of a sell, it is a sell". period.
> 
> if "buying" a cd of any kind of product implied that license, then the 
> buyer should get to read a printed copy of the license or something, 
> before he made the purchase.
> 
> but if you just enter a shop, lay off some money and take a CD, then
> you just bought a CD, and the bytes contained in it do not matter
> until you put that CD in a reader device and read them.
> there's no such thing as "when you buy that CD you are really buying a 
> license".
> 
> Namely put, as long as you do not put  the CD into a CD reader,
> it technically is just a piece of plastic to you. 
> 
> that's how that Adobe trial ended anyway..
> 
> Damian


Civ does have a point.  According to the EULA, you do NOT own the
software; you are only granted a license to use the software at
MicroShaft's behest.  When you buy the CD, you are indeed buying a
license.  Now wether you decide to USE that license or not at whatever
time in the future is up to you; but that does not nullify the fact that
you purchased the license.  If you want to leave that license on the
shelf, that's your right, but again it does not affect the fact that you
purchased a license, and your invoice is your proof of purchase for that
license.

What I'm discussing here is basically YOUR contract with the seller of
the software.  If we discuss another software seller other than M$, then
the terms of that EULA may well indeed dictate that you DO OWN the
software; in which case your assertion holds true.

The bottom line is that no matter what you or I consider ethically right
with respect to what we bought, we both are legally bound by the terms
of use of the authors (copyrighters) wether we like that or not.  The
USE of the software and agreement to the terms of use constitute a
contract; and a contract can say ANYTHING.  M$ is a prime example of
that; they've redefined the myriad ways that a EULA can screw the common
man.

LX



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