Journal #11, Aug 3

EULA!!!

When I was looking up the iTunes EULA for the number four discussion topic I found a couple of articles on EULAs in general and after reading about some of my classmates discussions on the EULAs they chose to look up I decided to read up on EULAs. I didn’t think that EULA for iTunes was shady or deceitful but I did think that it was a bit excessive. This article asked the exact question I was asking, but for a specific product. Are EULAs that bad? The author of this article seems to agree with me: they aren’t. I think that EULAs are a necessity for the companies that make and sell software. A company can’t possible know what some insane, sick, maniac is going to use their software for and has to protect itself from lawsuit. The lawsuit is the American way. Americans are quick to sue and want to get as much money as possible. So if a crazed man uses iTunes to interfere with a plane’s navigation system and the plane flies into the side of a mountain then the families of the victims will not only sue the man who caused this horrible accident but will also sue the company, which in my opinion, is not truly at fault. Plus the federal and state government always overrules the “contract” of the EULA.

Also a company has to be able to make a profit off its product. If a person is making copies of the software and giving it out to all of his buddies then how is the company expected to make money. Sure your own the copy of the software on your computer but not the concept behind the product or the product itself. To say you own the product is to say that just because you drive a Chevrolet Cavalier you own the rights to the blueprints of the car and can then start making and selling/ giving away Chevrolet Cavaliers. It just doesn’t work that way and the EULA is just letting you know that.

EULA= Protection

http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/faq/a/eula.htm
http://what-is-what.com/what_is/eula.html