Posted 10/19/09 at 08:09:01 PM by Ryan Whitwam

So you just bought a new PC, but you don’t buy into the closed-source software hegemony of Microsoft? You’re in luck. With only a few months of your time, and some technical expertise, you too can get a refund on Windows. That’s just what Graeme Cobbett did recently. Knowing that he intended to run Linux Mint on his new Dell Studio 1555, he informed Dell that he did not agree to the Windows EULA.

Cobbett blogged about his reasons for turning down the EULA saying, “Have you ever actually read the Microsoft Windows End User License Agreement? It's pretty scary what you commit yourself to.” By not starting Windows, Cobbett was legally entitled to a refund on the software.

The pertinent section of the EULA reads, “By using the software, you accept these terms. If you do not accept them, do not use the software. Instead, return it to the retailer for a refund or credit.” After two months and 14 emails, Cobbett had his $115 refund. Would it be worth it to you?

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Posted 09/05/08 at 08:21:49 PM by Pulkit Chandna

After a few eyebrows were raised over Chrome’s highly libertarian end-user license agreement (EULA) – almost a proclamation of a man’s fundamental right to piracy, an amendment or an explanation was inevitable. Chrome’s EULA stated that users were at liberty to use anything posted online through the browser. But Google has amended the EULA. The web juggernaut also downplayed the entire episode as a mistake. Setting the EULA aside, a few chinks in Chrome’s armor have already been sighted. Avi Raff, a researcher, has discovered that Chrome is vulnerable to carpet-bombing a la Safari.

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Posted 11/02/06 at 12:56:58 PM by Will Smith

Vista EULA copyright protection blues take a step for the consumer.

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Posted 10/20/06 at 05:50:06 PM by Will Smith

Will Vista's EULA cause more problems than the operating system is meant to solve?

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