April 26th, 2006
The lighter side of EULAs, the RIAA, the DMCA, and CRAP
So, there’s no such thing as a lighter side to these scourges you say? The RIAA can go shove it? Congress should can the DMCA (but not the way it canned spam)? EULAs are traps and all that digital rights management mumbo jumbo is a load of CRAP? Think again. ZDNet reader Tim Youngard explains:
The Retail Industries Apparel Association (RIAA) has recently started issuing lawsuits to families who have been breaking the new Desperate Manufactures Clothing Act (DMCA).
Rowena Finklestien was one of the first to be sued by the RIAA for allowing her son Ollie to wear his Brother Billy’s Pear Brand pants. "If my boys were identical twins I would be ok" a frustrated Rowena explained, "But since they’re fraternal brothers they’re telling me it’s against the law!." Part two of the lawsuit concerns a neighbor having worn the pants as well. "One of the boys had torn his shorts and I gave him the pants so he wouldn’t go home to Lynnette (neighbor) like that" sighed Rowena.
Wiley Whitehead, spokesman for the RIAA, stated that by allowing her son Ollie and the neighbor boy to use Billy’s pants she had violated the Cannot Reuse Apparel Policy (CRAP) as stated on the pants’ REULA (rear end user’s license agreement) tag. The lawsuit states, "Plaintiffs are informed and believe that Defendant, without the permission or consent of Plaintiffs, has used, and continues to use, one son’s pants on her other son and to making the pant’s available for distribution to others."
Think you can turn technology reality into humor? Make me laugh and I’ll post it here.
