COPYCENSE

"A thought suddenly struck me yesterday when I was reading the press release for Microsoft’s new Windows AntiSpyware product. If Microsoft’s product is really going to clean up spyware effectively, how will it do so without violating the licensing agreement of Claria’s Gator and other spyware/adware?

"An increasingly common provision in the adware EULAs is a prohibition against using third party software to remove the program. As spyware researcher Ben Edelman reported in November,, Claria’s EULA only allows removal of Gator and related software through a cumbersome process using the Windows Add/Remove Programs menu. Removing it through the use of spyware detection programs, presumably including Microsoft’s new offering, is a violation of the EULA."

Ed Foster. Is Microsoft Violating the Gator EULA?. The Gripe Line Weblog. Jan. 7, 2004.

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