[Random-bits] No-disparaging MS EULA for FrontPage

[James Love]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: IP: yet more amazing gall
Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2001 14:13:28 -0400
From: David Farber <dave@farber.net>

>Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2001 14:11:20 -0400 (EDT)
>From: Lenny Foner <foner@media.mit.edu>
>To: farber@cis.upenn.edu
>Subject: yet more amazing gall
>CC: foner@media.mit.edu
>
>http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/09/21/1438251&mode=thread
>
>Several readers have told me their EULA for FrontPage 2002 does not
>contain the no-disparaging-MS term, or that the term only applies to
>the FrontPage logo or to the Web components like the MSNBC news
>headline component. Just to be sure, this afternoon I went down to the
>store and bought a copy of FrontPage 2002 myself. In the box was the
>"Microsoft Frontpage 2002" license on a four-page folded sheet, titled
>"End- User License Agreement For Microsoft Software."  Under Section
>#1, Grant of License, the second paragraph headed "Restrictions"
>states in part: "You may not use the Software in connection with any
>site that disparages Microsoft, MSN, MSNBC, Expedia, or their products
>or services, infringe any intellectual property or other rights of
>these parties, violate any state, federal or international law, or
>promote racism, hatred or pornography." (Not only a stunning example
>of legal overreaching, in my opinion, but very poor grammar as well.)
>It appears to me to clearly apply to use of the program as a whole and
>not just the logo or Web components. I suspect that there are
>different versions of the EULA of FrontPage 2002.  Perhaps the license
>was updated for the most recent SKU, or versions obtained through
>different channels don't yet have it.
>
>[If they can't get it passed into interstate commerce law, they'll at
>least try to make sure 95% of the world can't say anything bad about
>them via licensing restrictions.  I can't -wait- for the court case.]



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