Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Economy
In reply to the discussion: STOCK MARKET WATCH -- Tuesday, 24 January 2012 [View all]Demeter
(85,373 posts)53. Apple's mind-bogglingly greedy and evil license agreement
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/apples-mind-bogglingly-greedy-and-evil-license-agreement/4360
Summary: Over the years, I have read hundreds of license agreements, looking for little gotchas and clear descriptions of rights. But I have never, ever seen a legal document like the one Apple has attached to its new iBooks Author program.
Follow-up: How Apple is sabotaging an open standard for digital books
I read EULAs so you dont have to. Ive spent years reading end user license agreements, EULAs, looking for little gotchas or just trying to figure out what the agreement allows and doesnt allow.
I have never seen a EULA as mind-bogglingly greedy and evil as Apples EULA for its new ebook authoring program.
Dan Wineman calls it unprecedented audacity on Apples part. For people like me, who write and sell books, access to multiple markets is essential. But thats prohibited:
Apple, in this EULA, is claiming a right not just to its software, but to its softwares output. Its akin to Microsoft trying to restrict what people can do with Word documents, or Adobe declaring that if you use Photoshop to export a JPEG, you cant freely sell it to Getty. As far as I know, in the consumer software industry, this practice is unprecedented.
Exactly: Imagine if Microsoft said you had to pay them 30% of your speaking fees if you used a PowerPoint deck in a speech....
Summary: Over the years, I have read hundreds of license agreements, looking for little gotchas and clear descriptions of rights. But I have never, ever seen a legal document like the one Apple has attached to its new iBooks Author program.
Follow-up: How Apple is sabotaging an open standard for digital books
I read EULAs so you dont have to. Ive spent years reading end user license agreements, EULAs, looking for little gotchas or just trying to figure out what the agreement allows and doesnt allow.
I have never seen a EULA as mind-bogglingly greedy and evil as Apples EULA for its new ebook authoring program.
Dan Wineman calls it unprecedented audacity on Apples part. For people like me, who write and sell books, access to multiple markets is essential. But thats prohibited:
Apple, in this EULA, is claiming a right not just to its software, but to its softwares output. Its akin to Microsoft trying to restrict what people can do with Word documents, or Adobe declaring that if you use Photoshop to export a JPEG, you cant freely sell it to Getty. As far as I know, in the consumer software industry, this practice is unprecedented.
Exactly: Imagine if Microsoft said you had to pay them 30% of your speaking fees if you used a PowerPoint deck in a speech....
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
88 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
How Big $ Bought Our Democracy, Corrupted Both Parties, and Set Us Up for Another Financial Crisis
Demeter
Jan 2012
#3
Obama to Use Pension Funds of Ordinary Americans to Pay for Bank Mortgage “Settlement”
Demeter
Jan 2012
#15
Simon Johnson on the Proposed Foreclosure Fraud Settlement: “This is a law enforcement issue.”
Demeter
Jan 2012
#41
It's a Mystery how Britain has kept its AAA rating - Evans-Pritchard, Telegraph
Ghost Dog
Jan 2012
#8
UK public sector net debt excluding financial interventions record £1.004 trillion in December
Ghost Dog
Jan 2012
#9
Buffett On Why Romney Should Pay Higher Taxes: He’s Just ‘Shoving Around Money,’ Not ‘Straining His
Demeter
Jan 2012
#44