Some questions regarding Vista licensing/warranty

[Nobody]

Vista lincesing terms have been published here:

http://download.microsoft.com/docum...lish_895f9adf-8f5a-4441-a9a9-271913fc7dab.pdf

There are 2 items (paragraphs 17, 18) there that I just can't comprehend at
all (may be because English is not my first language, and I can't speak
Legalese at all):
=================================================
17. NOTICE ABOUT THE MPEG-4 VISUAL STANDARD. This software includes MPEG-4
visual decoding technology. MPEG LA, L.L.C. requires this notice:
USE OF THIS PRODUCT IN ANY MANNER THAT COMPLIES WITH THE MPEG-4 VISUAL
STANDARD IS PROHIBITED, EXCEPT FOR USE DIRECTLY RELATED TO (A) DATA OR
INFORMATION (i) GENERATED BY AND OBTAINED WITHOUT CHARGE FROM A CONSUMER NOT
THEREBY ENGAGED IN A BUSINESS ENTERPRISE, AND (ii) FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY;
AND (B) OTHER USES SPECIFICALLY AND SEPARATELY LICENSED BY MPEG LA, L.L.C.

If you have questions about the MPEG-4 visual standard, please contact MPEG
LA, L.L.C., 250 Steele Street, Suite 300, Denver, Colorado 80206;
http://www.mpegla.com.

18. NOTICE ABOUT THE VC-1 VISUAL STANDARD. This software may include VC-1
visual decoding

technology. MPEG LA, L.L.C. requires this notice:

THIS PRODUCT IS LICENSED UNDER THE VC-1 PATENT PORTFOLIO LICENSES FOR THE
PERSONAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL USE OF A CONSUMER TO (A) ENCODE VIDEO IN
COMPLIANCE WITH THE VC-1 STANDARD ("VC-1 VIDEO") OR (B) DECODE VC-1 VIDEO
THAT WAS ENCODED BY A CONSUMER ENGAGED IN A PERSONAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL
ACTIVITY AND/OR WAS OBTAINED FROM A VIDEO PROVIDER LICENSED TO PROVIDE VC-1
VIDEO. NO LICENSE IS GRANTED OR SHALL BE IMPLIED FOR ANY OTHER USE.

If you have questions about the VC-1 visual standard, please contact MPEG
LA, L.L.C., 250 Steele Street, Suite 300, Denver, Colorado 80206;
http://www.mpegla.com.

==================================================

Can anyone explain in simpler terms what they mean? I vaguely assume 18.
means you can't use Vista to do any commercial work using VC-1 codec? Surely
this can't be true! I am completely clueless about 17

Also, one year warrany is something else I am curious about. Does it mean
that if after one year my perfeclty legal copy of Vista (that only has been
activated and used on one PC) all of a sudden decided it is illegal and
stopped working I am just out of luck?

 

[Guest]

I don't know about the legalese but your present Vista will only work until
June 2007. After that you have to buy the public version. Colin

 

[Ben Salisbury]

#17 "USE OF THIS PRODUCT IN ANY MANNER THAT COMPLIES WITH THE MPEG-4
VISUAL
STANDARD IS PROHIBITED, EXCEPT FOR USE DIRECTLY RELATED TO (A) DATA OR
INFORMATION (i) GENERATED BY AND OBTAINED WITHOUT CHARGE FROM A CONSUMER NOT
THEREBY ENGAGED IN A BUSINESS ENTERPRISE, AND (ii) FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY;"
---When using it for personal use, you can use the MPEG-4 format for
creating home movies and things of that nature, You cannot rip movies
because they were likely obtained with charge.

"OTHER USES SPECIFICALLY AND SEPARATELY LICENSED BY MPEG LA, L.L.C."
---If you need to use Vista for video production in a proffessional maner,
you must seek a commercial license for the MPEG-4 standard directly from
MPEG LA, LLC.

#18
This is pretty much the same as MPEG-4, for personal use it's acceptable.
if you want to use it for commercial purposes you need to get an independent
license from MPEG LA, LLC

This has always been the case. Just because a Codec came with an operating
system does not give you commercial rights to use it.
Most fonts that come bundled with an OS are often handled the same way, you
still need to seek independent license from font foundry for commercial use
of the font.

-Ben