small win for the little guy

[Clifton Santiago]

Thought this story might interest a few people:

http://www.channelregister.co.uk/200...todesk_ruling/

Autodesk, in an attempt to stop second-hand sales of legitimate software, claims that it does not sell software. Instead it only licenses software.

So my question is, if they don't sell their own software, who does? And does this explain their development debacles in recent years? Presumably if they don't sell software they don't develop it either...

I understand thats not really the point. The decision essentially renders EULAs obsolete, and brings the issue of software assets into question. But I think Autodesk really screwed up by making such a distinction.

[Clifton Santiago]

And here's another summary:

http://www.itwire.com/content/view/18397/53/

Maybe its actually a big win...

[mmikee]

So what would this mean for Chaos Group ?

Regards,
Mike

[Clifton Santiago]

Nothing I would think. Thats why I brought this up in off-topic.

I think this primarily affects shrink-wrap EULAs, i.e. software products that are distributed as a hard copy that can be re-sold.

The second article I referenced explains the huge implications this has for not only software but music companies as well. Not only are EULAs obsolete, the DCMA does not apply to any media purchased on a hard copy, which makes music sampling completely legal (once again).

Of course, this assumes that this decision will survive appeal. Considering the frequent pro-corporate bias in the U.S. courts, I think its unlikely.

[jonahhawk]

the scary part of this is what will Autodesk do to compensate if they loose. Will it be as simple as rewriting their EULA? Or will they move to an annual, or worse, a monthly licensing fee instead of the current purchase that has no expiration?

It is nice to be able to skip several versions and not purchase new software for several years. I still prefer Max 9 and am not terribly excited about 08 or 09.

This will be interesting to follow.

[Dman3d]

Zing. Well soon there will be no purchasing, leasing, using or developing. Just imagine we are modeling and rendering in our minds.