Read the EULA from Sony

[snowdog]

Somebody actually took the time to read the stuff.
Seems you have to delete your backup copy if your home gets burgled.
You grant Sony-BMG to install backdoors.
You're not allowed to use the music in your photo album slideshows.

Here's the link to slashdot - http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/05/11/13/1419206.shtml?tid=233&tid=141&tid=17

This is what happens when you PAY for the cd.

 

[kjr39]

Does the Sony root kit get installed on a Mac?

My God I hate media companies...

 

[grapes911]

meh...All companies has stupid crap like this. Have you ever read the ITMS EULA?

Apple reserves the right, at any time and from time to time, to update, revise, supplement, and otherwise modify this Agreement and to impose new or additional rules, policies, terms, or conditions on your use of the Service. Such updates, revisions, supplements, modifications, and additional rules, policies, terms, and conditions (collectively referred to in this Agreement as "Additional Terms") will be effective immediately and incorporated into this Agreement. Your continued use of the iTunes Music Store following will be deemed to constitute your acceptance of any and all such Additional Terms. All Additional Terms are hereby incorporated into this Agreement by this reference.

So they can change the EULA to read anything and I agree to it by just using the music store. They can chagne it to "the user must give all their worldly possessions to Steve Jobs." I download a song, and now I'm homeless and broke.

 

[Eidorian]

Leo Laporte just went over some bits of this on his KFI radio show. It's scary.

 

[PlaceofDis]

meh...All companies has stupid crap like this. Have you ever read the ITMS EULA?

So they can change the EULA to read anything and I agree to it by just using the music store. They can chagne it to "the user must give all their worldly possessions to Steve Jobs." I download a song, and now I'm homeless and broke.

yes but when you update or first start iTunes, it asks for your agreement to these and the EULA

Sony's EULA is automatic when you purchase the disc, no chance to find out what you are getting into before hand.

 

[grapes911]

yes but when you update or first start iTunes, it asks for your agreement to these and the EULA

What's stopping Apple from updating the EULA without updating iTunes? Nothing.

 

[PlaceofDis]

What's stopping Apple from updating the EULA without updating iTunes? Nothing.

fair business practices

but i will give you that point

 

[tobio]

I just don't get these licence agreements.
Recently when I changed my mobile phone tariff (over the phone) I had to be talked through the entire policy step by step and confirmed I understood...

You are taking up this contract for a year, that is one year from this date, do you understand (yes/no)
if you cancel your agreement you will have to pay a cancellation charge, do you understand (yes/no)
Your calls to land-lines will cost this much, do you understand (yes/no)
Your calls to other mobiles of the same network will cost this much, do you understand (yes/no)
your calls to other mobiles of a different network will cost this much, do you understand (yes/no)
and so on....

Now the phone and the music CD are both supposed legal agreements, however with the mobile phone they make damm sure you know what you are signing up for, with the music CD you just scroll down the page without even reading it and hit yes.

also any child (or person under 18, or whatever "responsible age" is wherever they are) could buy the CD, scroll through and click to sign their life away without understanding the implications. should they get their parents to come to the computer and check its ok to listen to this CD???

What can we do?

 

[cjc343]

meh...All companies has stupid crap like this. Have you ever read the ITMS EULA?

So they can change the EULA to read anything and I agree to it by just using the music store. They can chagne it to "the user must give all their worldly possessions to Steve Jobs." I download a song, and now I'm homeless and broke.

Most companies do this now... it's not a major issue: (EDIT: It could become a major issue if a company actually exercised this right to an extreme degree, and people found out when the company's CEO came to take away their house...)

Gmail's Terms of Use:

http://mail.google.com/mail/help/terms_of_use.html

Although we may attempt to notify you via your Gmail address when major changes are made, you should visit this page periodically to review the terms. Google may, in its sole discretion, modify or revise these terms and conditions and policies at any time, and you agree to be bound by such modifications or revisions. If you do not accept and abide by this Agreement, you may not use the Gmail service. In the event of an inconsistency between the Gmail Terms of Use and either Google's general Terms of Service (available at http://www.google.com/terms_of_service.html) or the Gmail Privacy Policy (available at http://www.google.com/mail/help/privacy.html), the Gmail Terms of Use shall control. Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to confer any third party rights or benefits.

Google's ToS:

http://www.google.com/terms_of_service.html

We may modify or terminate our services from time to time, for any reason, and without notice, including the right to terminate with or without notice, without liability to you, any other user or any third party. We reserve the right to modify these Terms of Service from time to time without notice. Please review these Terms of Service from time to time so that you will be apprised of any changes.

Yahoo Privacy Policy:

http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/

Yahoo! may update this policy. We will notify you about significant changes in the way we treat personal information by sending a notice to the primary email address specified in your Yahoo! account or by placing a prominent notice on our site.

Yahoo Terms of Use:

http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

Yahoo! Inc. ("Yahoo!") welcomes you. Yahoo! provides its service to you, subject to the following Terms of Service ("TOS"), which may be updated by us from time to time without notice to you. You can review the most current version of the TOS at any time at: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/. In addition, when using particular Yahoo! owned or operated services, you and Yahoo! shall be subject to any posted guidelines or rules applicable to such services which may be posted from time to time. All such guidelines or rules (including but not limited to our Spam Policy) are hereby incorporated by reference into the TOS. Yahoo! may also offer other services that are governed by different Terms of Service. For instance, different terms apply to homesteaders on Yahoo! GeoCities, members of Yahoo! Plus, or members of SBC Yahoo! Dial or SBC Yahoo! DSL.

You get the picture....

 

[grapes911]

Most companies do this now... it's not a major issue:

I know many of them do. It doesn't mean that it is not crap.

 

[Abstract]

I used to say that if I had to look for a WinXP laptop, I would look at Sony and IBM first. Forget it. I'm only going with IBM/Lenovo if I ever switched back.

 

[Fukui]

I used to say that if I had to look for a WinXP laptop, I would look at Sony and IBM first. Forget it. I'm only going with IBM/Lenovo if I ever switched back.

But I thought sony's new CEO (Stringer) was gonna turn around the company! They need our help!

 

[solvs]

So they can change the EULA to read anything and I agree to it by just using the music store. They can chagne it to "the user must give all their worldly possessions to Steve Jobs." I download a song, and now I'm homeless and broke.

I think there'd be certain legalities that prevent that. But yeah, if they wanted, they could drop it to one computer and one burn. That's the price of digital. In the case of these "CDs" (and I use the term loosely), I don't want to have to jump through hoops to hear my music. That's supposed to be the advantage of CDs vs. digital downloads.

And yeah, crap all around. iTunes is just the lesser evil IMO. That could all change at any time however, but you can thank the RIAA for that.

 

[EJBasile]

Wow.

Sony sucks, just another reason why iTunes is better.

--If your house gets burgled, you have to delete all your music from your laptop when you get home.
--If you move out of the country, you have to delete all your music
--If you file for bankruptcy, you have to delete all the music on your computer
--You cannot use the music as a soundtrack for your latest family photo slideshow, or mash-ups, or sampling

Why do these sound like blue laws?