Windows Media Player user license extensions

[Charles Lindsey]

	On Wed, 3 Jul 2002 20:46:35 +0100 (BST)
	Philip Rowlands <phr@doc.ic.ac.uk> said...

> 
> On Wed, 3 Jul 2002, Derek Fawcus wrote:
> 
> >> I'd assume the onus to be on you to prove you have a right to use the
> >> software at all. Otherwise warez becomes legal.
> >
> >Guilty 'til proven innocent?
> 
> There is no such thing as unlicensed use of software.

Nonsense. In the absence of a specific licence, normal copyright rules
apply which, AIUI, certainly allow you to make normal use of it within
any computer indefinitely, or to sell it on or lend it out.

So it is when manufactures try to make things more restrictive,
but saying it is licensed only for a named computer, or it must be
registered before use, or you grant them permission to access your
computer to "update" it that things become interesting. If you were able
to show that you bought it and were able to do any of those "wicked"
things without having had the licence conditions explictly drawn to your
attention, then you are not bound by them. That is precisely what you
are able to do by bypassing the "click through" mechanism.

Charles H. Lindsey ---------At Home, doing my own thing------------------------
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