Re: [Marketing] Selling the software for profit?
Jod Burgess wrote: I read in the licensing that people can charge for warranty, support, indemnity or liability obligations, but does it include charging for the software itself? A company called Think All Publishing (www.thinkall.com) is selling this software for $24.95 under the guise of it being free. I was wondering if this is allowed. As I understand it, it is fine to sell the product itself. (That's one of the difference between open source and freeware software.) The OpenOffice.org organization (such as it is) does not, as far as I know, have any kind of official position on ThinkAll except to say that it does not endorse the company. My personal opinion is that they should be avoided. We have received numerous complaints about their practices on this list, Better Business Bureaus around the country have received similar complaints, there are scores of complaints about them everywhere you look on the internet, and I am aware of at least two potential plaintiffs who are considering lawsuits against the company for violations of consumer protection laws. The problem is not that they are selling the software; it's the deceptive way in which they do it: promoting the CDs as free and then recurring charging fees to people who do not return the CDs within 10 days, with the terms of this buried deep in the fine print. You can read more about them at these links: http://www.dallas.bbb.org/news_20060712.html http://www.donationcoder.com/Forums/bb/index.php?topic=2083.0 http://www.ripoffreport.com/results.asp?q1=ALLq4=q6=q3=q2=q7=searchtype=0submit2=Search%21q5=Thinkall+Publishingsubmit=Search http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthread.php?t=21757 http://graphicssoft.about.com/b/a/257678.htm http://www.veign.com/blog/2006/01/thinkallcom-think-again.html -- Steven Shelton Twilight Media Design www.TwilightMD.com www.GLOAMING.us -=-=-=-=- I have the body of a god. Unfortunately, it's Buddha. -=-=-=-=- - To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [Marketing] Selling the software for profit?
On Wednesday 09 August 2006 23:37, Steven Shelton wrote: Jod Burgess wrote: I read in the licensing that people can charge for warranty, support, indemnity or liability obligations, but does it include charging for the software itself? A company called Think All Publishing (www.thinkall.com) is selling this software for $24.95 under the guise of it being free. I was wondering if this is allowed. As I understand it, it is fine to sell the product itself. (That's one of the difference between open source and freeware software.) The OpenOffice.org organization (such as it is) does not, as far as I know, have any kind of official position on ThinkAll except to say that it does not endorse the company. There was a discussion off list about them. I stated my position on this company. Unless and until they change their tactics, they will not be listed on the Distributor's page. At the moment, I'm talking to the Australian consumer affairs watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) My personal opinion is that they should be avoided. We have received numerous complaints about their practices on this list, Better Business Bureaus around the country have received similar complaints, there are scores of complaints about them everywhere you look on the internet, and I am aware of at least two potential plaintiffs who are considering lawsuits against the company for violations of consumer protection laws. The problem is not that they are selling the software; it's the deceptive way in which they do it: promoting the CDs as free and then recurring charging fees to people who do not return the CDs within 10 days, with the terms of this buried deep in the fine print. -- Alex Fisher Co-Lead, CD-ROM Project OpenOffice.org Marketing Community Contact Australia/New Zealand http://distribution.openoffice.org/cdrom/ pgp3ldsacbB8U.pgp Description: PGP signature
[Marketing] Selling the software for profit?
I read in the licensing that people can charge for warranty, support, indemnity or liability obligations, but does it include charging for the software itself? A company called Think All Publishing (www.thinkall.com) is selling this software for $24.95 under the guise of it being free. I was wondering if this is allowed. Joanne Burgess
