Those licensing terms are ILLEGAL in Germany (as ruled by the German Bundesgerichtshof) and probably several other countries.
Winni. That's why I have explicitly separated "license compliant" from "legal" and asked the OP for their definition of "legal" which could also be termed as "legitimate" or "valid".
Even though you keep saying this and in practice it may be so (in practice it is also so in the US, despite the explicit license restrictions against it) the last time I checked Microsoft is still asserting the same restriction in the German language license. Let me check again.
Here's the English System Builder's License.
http://oem.microsoft.com/downloads/Public/sblicense/2008_SB_Licenses/FY08_SB_License_English.pdf
To distribute the Software or Hardware in this Pack, you must be a System Builder
and accept this license. “System Builder” means an original equipment manufacturer, an assembler, a refurbisher, or a software pre-installer that sells the Customer System(s) to a third party.
Here's the German System Builder's License.
http://oem.microsoft.com/downloads/Public/sblicense/2008_SB_Licenses/FY08_SB_License_German.pdf
Um die Software oder Hardware in diesem Paket zu vertreiben, müssen Sie ein
System Builder sein und diese Lizenz annehmen. „System Builder“ ist ein Original Equipment Manufacturer, ein Assembler, ein Refurbisher oder ein Vorinstallierer von Software, der Kundensysteme an Dritte verkauft, oder ein Wiederverkäufer von Software.
None of those seem to include "end user" although the addition of "software reseller" seems different in the German version. This might be the loophole. However, section 5 seems to have the same requirements for pre-installation using the OPK as the English version. There also seem to be the same restrictions for attaching the COA label to the system and such. (My German is rusty enough not to even try to translate the whole thing.)
Moving on to the OEM EULA which defines what the End User's rights are:
For example:
http://download.microsoft.com/Docum...rman_e12fc3bb-7247-4de7-adf1-3b77ca05094f.pdf,
http://www.microsoft.com/About/Legal/EN/US/IntellectualProperty/UseTerms/Default.aspx
ÜBERTRAGUNG AN DRITTE. Sie sind berechtigt, die Software nur mit dem lizenzierten Computer direkt an Dritte zu übertragen. Die Übertragung muss die Software und das COA Label einschließen. Sie sind nicht berechtigt, Kopien der Software oder einer früheren Version aufzubewahren. Vor jeder gestatteten Übertragung muss sich die andere Partei damit einverstanden erklären, dass dieser Vertrag für die Übertragung und Verwendung der Software gilt.
appears to be the same license restriction as in the English version:
TRANSFER TO A THIRD PARTY. You may transfer the software directly to a third party only with the licensed computer. The transfer must include the software and the Certificate of Authenticity label. You may not keep any copies of the software or any earlier version. Before any permitted transfer, the other party must agree that this agreement applies to the transfer and use of the software.
Yet, you claim that in Germany it is perfectly legal to separate the OEM license from the licensed computer and resell it. Microsoft doesn't seem to reflect that in their license agreement. Do they?
Previously, the loophole in the US version of the System Builder License was that the license only kicked in
when you resold the system. Now it kicks in when you open the package and you must accept the license to install the software and that license includes the resale clause above.
As I said above, the situation is very similar to jailbreaking. While it may be legal (Yes, even in the US
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/07/feds-ok-iphone-jailbreaking/) that doesn't mean it is license compliant and that Apple or Microsoft have any requirement to support you once you "go off the reservation". They could simply deny you upgrades or cut off service entirely.
B
