[Free-sklyarov-uk] MS right-to-crack EULA

[James Carrier]

Edward Welbourne wrote:
> crucially, the wording as much as announces that they'll delete any
> programs they discover on your computer which they claim to suspect of
> being capable of subverting their Digital Access Restriction (so-called
> DRM) systems.  Of course, this will be a powerful weapon against anyone
> trying to compete with microsoft in the market for players of the
> windoze media player format - especially anyone who distributes the
> source code of the competing program (since this could so easily be used
> to produce a modified program which copies things the MS product would
> refuse to copy).

I was just about to press send on a post saying much the same thing ;-)

It was this bit of the EULA that got me:

"These security related updates may disable your ability to copy and/or 
play Secure Content **and use other software** on your computer."

For that very reason. Of course this has huge antitrust implications - 
when Microsoft both produce the Windows Media Architecture and hold the 
keys to your PC, competing technologies like Quicktime and Real are put 
at a disadvantage, if not completely out of business.

james