Wikipedia mentions some key legal cases, and which Federal court districts
have ruled in which ways:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EULA

"Enforceability

The enforceability of an EULA depends on several factors, one of them being
the court in which the case is heard. Most courts that have addressed the
validity of the shrinkwrap license agreements have found them to be invalid,
characterizing them as contracts of
adhesion<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhesion_contract>,
unconscionable <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconscionable>, and/or
unacceptable pursuant to the
U.C.C.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Commercial_Code>—see, for
instance,
*Step-Saver Data Systems, Inc. v. Wyse
Technology<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Step-Saver_Data_Systems%2C_Inc._v._Wyse_Technology>(939
F.2d 91)*, *Vault Corp. v. Quaid Software
Ltd.<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vault_Corp._v._Quaid_Software_Ltd.&action=edit>
* (at harvard.edu <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/ilaw/Contract/vault.htm>)
and Rich, Mass Market Software and the Shrinkwrap
License<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rich%2C_Mass_Market_Software_and_the_Shrinkwrap_License&action=edit>(23
Colo. Law
1321.17). A minority of courts have determined that the shrinkwrap license
agreement is valid and enforceable: see *ProCD, Inc. v.
Zeidenberg<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProCD%2C_Inc._v._Zeidenberg>
* (at 
findlaw.com<http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=7th&navby=case&no=961139>),
*Microsoft v. Harmony
Computers<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Microsoft_v._Harmony_Computers&action=edit>
* (846 F. Supp. 208, 212,
E.D.N.Y.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._District_Court_for_the_Eastern_District_of_New_York>1994),
*Novell v. Network Trade
Center<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Novell_v._Network_Trade_Center&action=edit>
* (at 
harvard.edu<http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/openlaw/DVD/cases/Novell_v_NTC.html>),
and Arizona Cartridge Remanufacturers Association Inc. v. Lexmark
International 
Inc.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_Cartridge_Remanufacturers_Association_Inc._v._Lexmark_International_Inc.>may
have some bearing as well.

The 7th 
Circuit<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Seventh_Circuit>and
8th
Circuit<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Eighth_Circuit>subscribe
to the "license" and "not sold" arguments, while most other
circuits do not. In addition, the contracts' enforceability depends on
whether the state has passed Uniform Computer Information Transactions
Act<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Computer_Information_Transactions_Act>(UCITA)
or
Anti-UCITA<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anti-UCITA&action=edit>(UCITA
Bomb 
Shelter<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=UCITA_Bomb_Shelter&action=edit>)
laws. In Anti-UCITA states, the Uniform Commercial
Code<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Commercial_Code>(UCC) has
been amended to either specifically define software as a good
(thus making it fall under the UCC), or to disallow contracts which specify
that the terms of contract are subject to the laws of a state that's passed
UCITA.

Recently, publishers have begun to
encrypt<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encryption>their software
packages
[*citation needed*]
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources>to make it
impossible for a user to install the software without either
agreeing to the license agreement or violating the Digital Millennium
Copyright 
Act<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act>(DMCA)
and foreign
counterparts <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WIPO_Copyright_Treaty>.

The DMCA specifically provides for reverse engineering of software for
interoperability purposes, so there was some controversy as to whether
software license agreement clauses which restrict this are
enforceable. The Eighth
Circuit <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eighth_Circuit> case of *Blizzard v.
BnetD <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blizzard_v._BnetD>* (at
eff.org<http://www.eff.org/IP/Emulation/Blizzard_v_bnetd/>)
determined that such clauses are enforceable, following the Federal
Circuit<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Circuit>decision of
*Baystate v. Bowers*. [1] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EULA#_note-0>
"

On 5/28/07, b_s-wilk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

Have there been cases where the software developer succeeded in suing
for EULA violations? State? Federal? Foreign?


--
John DeCarlo, My Views Are My Own


************************************************************************
* ==> QUICK LIST-COMMAND REFERENCE - Put the following commands in  <==
* ==> the body of an email & send 'em to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <==
* Join the list: SUBSCRIBE COMPUTERGUYS-L Your Name
* Too much mail? Try Daily Digests command: SET COMPUTERGUYS-L DIGEST
* Tired of the List? Unsubscribe command: SIGNOFF COMPUTERGUYS-L
* New address? From OLD address send: CHANGE COMPUTERGUYS-L YourNewAddress
* Need more help? Send mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
************************************************************************
* List archive at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
* RSS at www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml
* Messages bearing the header "X-No-Archive: yes" will not be archived
************************************************************************

Reply via email to