Sony’s legalese rootkit
While everyone was digging into their Windows machines to check if they had been hit by one of Sony’s rootkits (no, no link here; you can’t go online these days without stumbling about five stories on the topic), the EFF people took the pains of actually reading the EULA (end user license agreement) on those CDs.
It is just as amazing, if not more so, as the technical rootkit. (Hm, I wonder what other legalese treasures are hidden in those windows people simply click away when installing proprietary software?)
Here are a few of my faves:
If your house gets burgled, you have to delete all your music from your laptop when you get home. That’s because the EULA says that your rights to any copies terminate as soon as you no longer possess the original CD. Sony-BMG can install and use backdoors in the copy protection software or media player to “enforce their rights” against you, at any time, without notice. And Sony-BMG disclaims any liability if this “self help” crashes your computer, exposes you to security risks, or any other harm. If you file for bankruptcy, you have to delete all the music on your computer. Seriously.
Uhm. If these are the terms you agree to when listening to a CD you legally bought, is it a surprise that people get to prefer alternatives that do not impose such absurd restrictions.