From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.6 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,TO_NO_BRKTS_FROM_MSSP autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 101deb,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid101deb,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 1073c2,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid1073c2,public X-Google-Thread: 107a89,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid107a89,public X-Google-Thread: 10a146,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid10a146,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-06-12 07:13:09 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!feed.textport.net!newsranger.com!www.newsranger.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.clarion,comp.lang.java.programmer,comp.lang.pl1,comp.lang.vrml From: Ted Dennison References: <9f8b7b$h0e$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9f8r0i$lu3$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9fgagu$6ae$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9fjgha$blf$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <35mqhtkdfma2rggv1htcaq6vfn2ihs67a1@4ax.com> <9fli1b$4aa$1@nh.pace.co.uk> Organization: LJK Software <9folnd$1t8$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3B1FE1FE.B49AE27F@noaa.gov> <9fotpi$4k6$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3b24dc21$1@news.tce.com> <3B25D5FB.15C9B240@dresdner-bank.com> Subject: Shrink-wrap licenses (was: Long names are doom ?) Message-ID: X-Abuse-Info: When contacting newsranger.com regarding abuse please X-Abuse-Info: forward the entire news article including headers or X-Abuse-Info: else we will not be able to process your request X-Complaints-To: abuse@newsranger.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2001 10:12:09 EDT Organization: http://www.newsranger.com Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2001 14:12:09 GMT Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:8606 comp.lang.clarion:21746 comp.lang.java.programmer:75613 comp.lang.pl1:979 comp.lang.vrml:3728 Date: 2001-06-12T14:12:09+00:00 List-Id: In article <3B25D5FB.15C9B240@dresdner-bank.com>, James Kanze says... > >I don't know what the situation is in America, but I'm pretty sure >having read of a case here in Europe where such "licenses" were held >to be non-binding, because they lacked the informed agreement of one >of the parties. The situation here is that software companies do realize that they are skating on thin legal ice, so they are making huge investments in lobbiests and politicians to try and change the legal landscape so that there is no doubt that such licenses are enforcable. They are meeting a great deal of resistance from lawyers (the ones they haven't paid) and civil liberties groups, but the general public is used to ignoring those groups (the public *loves* executions, which both groups are overwhelmingly aginst). There's one law in particular that software publishers are trying to pass through each state's legislature that would make both shrinkwrap and click-through licenses legally binding. So far they've pushed it through 2 (of 50). Both states thought the proposed law was so hideous that they had to "improve" it some first, but they should still be ashamed of themselves for passing it. Neither state has a significant shrink-wrap software industry, so they essentially sold out their own citizens for *nothing* in return. --- T.E.D. homepage - http://www.telepath.com/dennison/Ted/TED.html home email - mailto:dennison@telepath.com