Redistribution of Hotfix KB943198

[Peter Fernandez]

Hi,

I'm not sure if this is the proper place to ask this question, as it's not
technical, but legal. But I've not found information about this elsewhere,
so here goes........

I am involved in the development of a product that uses 'usbser.sys' and a
large proportion of the target audience will be running XP. For users
ruunning Windows XP SP2 a minimum of Hotfix KB943198 is required. This
Hotfix is a free download, however once you follow the download link you
then see that all users must pass WGA tests before being allowed to download
this free update. My preference is to bundle the Hotfix into my program's
installer and install it automatically (I've already constructed the
Bootstrapper Package to achieve this). This is the easiest solution for the
end user, but I suspect it will violate some legal requirement of
MS.........

So my question is: how can I distribute Hotfix KB943198 as part of my
Install in a way that doesn't break any MS legal requirements? The
"Description of the
standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates"
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824684/) suggests that it is possible to
petition Microsoft - the section entitled 'Hotfix' reads as follows:
"...........Additional Information: Hotfixes are distributed by Microsoft
Product Support Services. Customers may not redistribute hotfixes without
written, legal consent from Microsoft." So who would I need to contact to
petition for legal consent? Would it be an appropriate program manager? If
so, does anyone have the contact information for such a person?

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[Ron Badour]

It would probably end up in legal but that's just a guess. I suggest you
contact customer service and let them figure out who needs to see your
request. You can do it via phone, email or chat:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/cu_sc_more_master?ws=mscom#tab1

 

[Peter Fernandez]

Thanks for your help Ron

It would probably end up in legal but that's just a guess. I suggest you
contact customer service and let them figure out who needs to see your
request. You can do it via phone, email or chat:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/cu_sc_more_master?ws=mscom#tab1

--
Regards

Ron Badour
MS MVP Shell User