19 Oct
2000
19 Oct
'00
8:17 a.m.
Carlos wrote:
I don't doubt it. When you install Office 2000
Pro, it asks you
to connect to microsoft via modem (toll free) or internet in order
to register. If you defer, then it tells you that you can
use the software 50 times before it will shutdown and you will
have to register in order for it to keep working.
Someone will undoubtedly figure out how to hack that. I had the same
thing on some OCR software. I'm pissed off because the box didn't say
that I was *required* to register it. I think this is a violation of
implied warranty of merchantability. When I "buy" the product in a
retail box in a store, unless stated otherwise I expect to be able to
use the product on one computer in any way that I like. The vendors all
try to disclaim implied warranties, but I'm not sure they can get away
with it. (Well, in states that have passed the UCITA they can.)
Of course, now with our wonderful new Digital Millenium Copyright Act
here in the former "land of the free", it might actually be *illegal*
to reverse-engineer the registration counter, if the vendor can convince a
court that the registration counter is an "effective copyright protection
measure". In a truly marvelous display of sophistry, the judge in the
2600 case ruled that even a completely ineffective copyright protection
system is in fact "effective" because the DMCA gives it force of law.
If you were to get the idea that I'm fed up with what the republicrats
in the US Congress (more aptly named the "Parliament of Whores" by
P.J. O'Rourke) are doing for^H^H^Hto us, you'd be absolutely right. If
you want lower taxes and sane public policy, vote Libertarian.
OK, I'll get off my soapbox now.
Eric