Who ever reads an EULA
Sep. 11th, 2010 05:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
threemonkeysThe potential has always been there, but a court case in the US has ruled that you cannot sell a second-hand piece of software. Its the old "its a licence" issue. If a software vendor states that you may not re-sell the software in the End User Licence Agreement (EULA) then that is binding. That consequence has always been there, but now it has court sanction.
The really worrying bit in all this is that it could apply to any digital media depending on how the wording in other EULAs is to be interpreted (Autodesk's is particularly restrictive). So it isn't just software, it also potentially affects music, games and ebooks.
It may still go to higher appeal and of course it only applies to the US as it stands. There is a good chance that consumer law in other countries may stop this particular wording in EULAs from being enforced. Nevertheless, as somebody who buys a lot of secondhand books, it is a bit of concern.
The really worrying bit in all this is that it could apply to any digital media depending on how the wording in other EULAs is to be interpreted (Autodesk's is particularly restrictive). So it isn't just software, it also potentially affects music, games and ebooks.
It may still go to higher appeal and of course it only applies to the US as it stands. There is a good chance that consumer law in other countries may stop this particular wording in EULAs from being enforced. Nevertheless, as somebody who buys a lot of secondhand books, it is a bit of concern.