Timeline for What stops stolen software from offering a valid license?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
22 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 13, 2023 at 14:11 | comment | added | interfect | I think I wrote "stolen" about copyright, when I really should have used "pirated" or something similar. I am interested in the case of boxed software shoplifted from a store, but also in the case of e.g. freeware that is only allowed to be distributed from the author's site being rehosted elsewhere, or torrented AAA games, or even the case of borrowing a CD with the permission of its owner and then trying to get a second licensed install out of it. | |
| Dec 12, 2023 at 22:06 | comment | added | Robbie Goodwin | Really you might do better trying to drop all the rest, and wrap your head around how 'fake' or 'stolen' or 'theft' will always override anything that might have applied to a legitimate sale. How could any question of agency, detail of the software or suggestion that things done by code were taken as done by people be relevant? You seem to be using a special definition of ‘stolen’ that might not include ’falsehood’ or ‘theft.’ Can you say how that works, and how it doesn’t invalidate the idea of a thief offering a ’valid license’? | |
| Dec 8, 2023 at 13:48 | comment | added | interfect | @RobbieGoodwin Really I'm trying to wrap my head around questions of agency in software, and when things done by code can or cannot be taken as being actually done by people. So I wanted to know if a defect in the "chain of title" or chain of licensing for software would mean that the software is no longer allowed to offer licenses or contracts on behalf of its author. I use the word "stolen" here as shorthand for something like "used or copied without a license or a statutory right to do so"; you generally can't actually make off with intellectual property. | |
| Dec 2, 2023 at 18:21 | comment | added | Michael Kay | @interfect If the license is a forgery then they are using the software without a license and are therefore in breach of copyright laws. Whether they are committing an offence if they do that unknowingly is a question for a lawyer. If there are things the user can do without breaching copyright (e.g because of "fair use") then the status of the license doesn't come into it: a license is only needed to do things that you wouldn't be able to do otherwise. | |
| Dec 1, 2023 at 22:41 | comment | added | Robbie Goodwin | What are you really Asking, please? How could you doubt that stolen software was… uh… 'stolen' or that necessarily meant nothing 'offered by' it could be 'valid'… unless you have a special definition of 'valid'? Have you? | |
| Dec 1, 2023 at 20:32 | comment | added | interfect | @MichaelKay if the license offer is a forgery in that case, would the user be able to then useor copy the software to the extent allowed under fair use, without having to comply with any terms of service contracts the software presents, because those contract offers would also be forgeries? | |
| Dec 1, 2023 at 18:26 | comment | added | Michael Kay | "What if the user gets their installer by downloading it for free from an unauthorized distributor, ". Then the so-called license is a forgery, and has no effect. The fact that someone tells you you have a license doesn't mean that you actually have one; they can be lying. | |
| Dec 1, 2023 at 14:15 | vote | accept | interfect | ||
| Dec 1, 2023 at 14:13 | comment | added | interfect | @Herohtar good catch! I missed that point in the Frontier agreement. Looks like they thought of this. | |
| Nov 30, 2023 at 4:28 | comment | added | Herohtar | @interfect The Blizzard EULA is for their gaming platform, not for their games; they say "To play Games, you may need to add a Game license to an Account", clearly indicating that the games have their own licenses, so you'd need to look at the license for a specific game for the rest of the details. The Frontier EULA even more clearly states, "To Use the Game you are required to pay a fee." If you actually read the full EULA of any commercial software you will find that they actually do state you have to pay. | |
| Nov 29, 2023 at 21:25 | history | became hot network question | |||
| Nov 29, 2023 at 19:50 | answer | added | user71659 | timeline score: 35 | |
| Nov 29, 2023 at 19:39 | comment | added | WPNSGuy | @interfect - The "license" is generally held at the publisher. I have a very nice CAD program. $$$$. The "license" is a combination of my email and the specific code they associate with that email. [email protected] + 12345ABcd. This data is held at the mothership. If I "sell" that installer package plus that email/SN combination, the publisher is going to notice hat it is being installed and accessed from multiple locations at the same time. They WILL kill off one or all of those licenses. I can absolutely sell it, but I can no longer continue to use it. | |
| Nov 29, 2023 at 18:50 | answer | added | SegNerd | timeline score: 21 | |
| Nov 29, 2023 at 18:40 | comment | added | interfect | And here's an example of how a document like this might be presented by desktop software distributed as a disk or an installer program: int64software.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/… | |
| Nov 29, 2023 at 18:32 | comment | added | interfect | Here's another license example which says that as soon as I "access" or "download" this game, I have a license to install it on one computer: store.steampowered.com/eula/1611910_eula_0 | |
| Nov 29, 2023 at 18:17 | comment | added | interfect | The unauthorized destributor would be distributing a copy of the whole disk/installer, which would include the license. Presumably they copied it from a purchased copy without authorization. One example document is the Blizzard EULA at blizzard.com/en-us/legal/fba4d00f-c7e4-4883-b8b9-1b4500a402ea/… which says you get a license and notes that you "may" need to actually buy some games before you can physically play them. | |
| Nov 29, 2023 at 15:56 | comment | added | schrödingcöder | @interfect I’m curious what some examples would be, and what the T&C actually say | |
| Nov 29, 2023 at 14:47 | comment | added | WPNSGuy | Where did this "unauthorized distributor" get the license from? | |
| Nov 29, 2023 at 13:38 | comment | added | interfect | Sometimes, especially if the application has its own internal way to take a key or to activate, but many installers seem to offer a full license. | |
| Nov 29, 2023 at 13:30 | comment | added | schrödingcöder | Isn’t it a temporary evaluation licence in many cases of installers? | |
| Nov 29, 2023 at 13:25 | history | asked | interfect | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
