Talk of the EULA

[Mickey]

I have watched and read post on this newsgroup concerning the issue of EULA
and Microsoft and the LAW governing this issue, even though it does not
apply to Windows XP or any other Windows to speak of, it is a good
explanation for those who consider the other side of the law, as it is
written. Feedback is Welcome.

Mickey

Three convictions in Net piracy sweeps:

By John Borland , Staff Writer, CNET News.com

The U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday that three men pleaded guilty to
criminal copyright infringement, as part of what attorneys called the
largest multinational Net piracy investigation to date.

The investigation, called "Operation Higher Education," has been conducted
in 12 countries, prosecutors said. The three men pleaded guilty to being
part of organized groups including Fairlight and Kalisto, both of which
specialized in distributing pirated copies of computer and video games.

"Stealing the intellectual property of others is no different from any other
form of thievery," U.S. Attorney Kevin J. O'Connor said in a statement. "It
is a priority of this Office and the Department of Justice to protect the
intellectual property rights of our nation's inventors and creators,
regardless of where the pirates are located."

The U.S. federal government has stepped up its investigation and prosecution
of Internet piracy over the past several years. Most of its actions have
targeted organized "warez" groups rather than individuals swapping music or
movies on peer-to-peer networks, however.

"Higher Education" is part of a larger global antipiracy operation called
"Operation Fastlink," which the Department of Justice announced last year.

Pasadena, Calif., resident Seth Kleinberg pleaded guilty to breaking
copyright protection on software titles and distributing them online for
several pirate groups. He faces up to 10 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Two other men, Jeffrey Lerman and Albert Bryndzda, each face up to five
years in prison.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

I better check my bookmarks to certain sites, hadn't I?

Seriously, when I was an unemployment fraud investigator for Colorado I
learned that about 5% of the population cannot make the right decision when
faced with temptation to steal if they think they are doing it anonymously.
Of course when they get caught they have some pretty cute rationalizations.

About 2% will criminally steal. The rest are mostly people of good will who
cannot handle an honor system. I would refer for prosecution the 2% and set
overpaid (sometimes with and sometimes without penalties) the rest.

I see the same thing in the newsgroups concerning the EULA, except they are
a lot sillier about it. I think the ones we see here are the casual copiers
who realize that the honor system that has been the rule with the MS EULA
allows them to make the copies if they really want to, but who are expecting
someone to affirm their actions so they can feel OK about it. You can see
them wiggle as they play 'what if, but' games. I actually find them fun to
watch. But in the end they are taking advantage of Microsoft's desire to
maintain customer delight by making Windows as pleasant an experience as
possible. And of course the casual copiers wind up making us all have to
put up with new restrictions and inconveniences. But I have never expected
it to be otherwise.

I have always found Microsoft to be more open than I imagine myself as being
were I in their shoes.

 

[Mickey]

You got it, and you know the sad part is: It's like the shoplifters, In the
end, the honest one's are the one's who have to pay the price for this, ie:
Higher Prices, more restrictions, etc. But like the old saying, Some minds
are only limited to the train tracks that they run on.
Good Night All,
Keep On! Keepin On!
Mickey

I better check my bookmarks to certain sites, hadn't I?

Seriously, when I was an unemployment fraud investigator for Colorado I
learned that about 5% of the population cannot make the right decision
when faced with temptation to steal if they think they are doing it
anonymously. Of course when they get caught they have some pretty cute
rationalizations.

About 2% will criminally steal. The rest are mostly people of good will
who cannot handle an honor system. I would refer for prosecution the 2%
and set overpaid (sometimes with and sometimes without penalties) the
rest.

I see the same thing in the newsgroups concerning the EULA, except they
are a lot sillier about it. I think the ones we see here are the casual
copiers who realize that the honor system that has been the rule with the
MS EULA allows them to make the copies if they really want to, but who are
expecting someone to affirm their actions so they can feel OK about it.
You can see them wiggle as they play 'what if, but' games. I actually
find them fun to watch. But in the end they are taking advantage of
Microsoft's desire to maintain customer delight by making Windows as
pleasant an experience as possible. And of course the casual copiers wind
up making us all have to put up with new restrictions and inconveniences.
But I have never expected it to be otherwise.

I have always found Microsoft to be more open than I imagine myself as
being were I in their shoes.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)

I have watched and read post on this newsgroup concerning the issue of
EULA and Microsoft and the LAW governing this issue, even though it does
not apply to Windows XP or any other Windows to speak of, it is a good
explanation for those who consider the other side of the law, as it is
written. Feedback is Welcome.

Mickey

Three convictions in Net piracy sweeps:

By John Borland , Staff Writer, CNET News.com

The U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday that three men pleaded guilty
to criminal copyright infringement, as part of what attorneys called the
largest multinational Net piracy investigation to date.

The investigation, called "Operation Higher Education," has been
conducted in 12 countries, prosecutors said. The three men pleaded guilty
to being part of organized groups including Fairlight and Kalisto, both
of which specialized in distributing pirated copies of computer and video
games.

"Stealing the intellectual property of others is no different from any
other form of thievery," U.S. Attorney Kevin J. O'Connor said in a
statement. "It is a priority of this Office and the Department of Justice
to protect the intellectual property rights of our nation's inventors and
creators, regardless of where the pirates are located."

The U.S. federal government has stepped up its investigation and
prosecution of Internet piracy over the past several years. Most of its
actions have targeted organized "warez" groups rather than individuals
swapping music or movies on peer-to-peer networks, however.

"Higher Education" is part of a larger global antipiracy operation called
"Operation Fastlink," which the Department of Justice announced last
year.

Pasadena, Calif., resident Seth Kleinberg pleaded guilty to breaking
copyright protection on software titles and distributing them online for
several pirate groups. He faces up to 10 years in prison, prosecutors
said.

Two other men, Jeffrey Lerman and Albert Bryndzda, each face up to five
years in prison.