Windows Media Player Patch Add New Provisions to EULA!! [Archive]

Jin

07-01-02, 12:31 PM

For those of you who heard and d/l the patch to fix the problems with Windows Media Player then you should also know that the patch had added new provisions the EULA. I don't know if anyone knew this but I just found this out for myself.

"* Digital Rights Management (Security). You agree that in order to protect the integrity of content and software protected by digital rights management ("Secure Content"), Microsoft may provide security related updates to the OS Components that will be automatically downloaded onto your computer. These security related updates may disable your ability to copy and/or play Secure Content and use other software on your computer. If we provide such a security update, we will use reasonable efforts to post notices on a web site explaining the update."

Here's a link:
http://bsdvault.net/article.php?sid=527&mode=&order=0

denolth2

07-01-02, 04:14 PM

taken from lockergnome and the register...
den2 :O

this sounds eeeevvvvviiiiilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

A Big Deal

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/25956.html

Another leap in brash Microsoft behavior has me foaming at the mouth. This time, yes, I'm going to bash Microsoft. This idea is so profoundly stupid that I won't give them any wiggle room. I've had it.

The latest Windows Media Player roll-up patch seems rather benign if you're at the user end, and that may still be true, but if you happened to download it from Microsoft's TechNet site, you were met with an End User License Agreement that says:

"You agree that in order to protect the integrity of content and software protected by digital rights management ('Secure Content'), Microsoft may provide security related updates to the OS Components that will be automatically downloaded onto your computer. These security related updates may disable your ability to copy and/or play Secure Content and use other software on your computer. If we provide such a security update, we will use reasonable efforts to post notices on a web site explaining the update."

I really wish I were making this up. I had to read it twice to be sure it said what I thought it said. They come right out and say that they will disable other software that interferes with WiMPs ability to play secure content. So, I guess their the media police now. Disabling software from other vendors because they don't like how it operates - Wouldn't this fall into the category of anti-competitive behavior? Sounds like a text book definition to me.

This is akin to agreeing to have the police come into your house whenever they like to be sure you're not doing anything illegal. You have no choice in how you work with media if it upsets Microsoft in any way. How rude. I guess they just tried to sneak it in via the TechNet site to see who squawks before pushing down via Windows Update. No doubt Microsoft will issue some sort of "clarification" soon, so I'll be watching for that. You can bet that a zillion lawyers already took a stab at what's there now, so you know it was quite intentional.
:p