|

»

Pay up or your computer will become unusable

View: New views

7 Messages — Rating Filter: Alert me

	Pay up or your computer will become unusable by Sean Donelan :: Rate this Message: Reply to Author \| View Threaded \| Show Only this Message Micro Billing Systems has developed software to ensure people pay their bills. If you don't pay, the software will progressively make your computer more and more unusable. In addition, MBS has demand anti-virus companies such as Symantec cease and desist from removing its nagging software as malware. http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2091354,00.html Although these originated in the UK, the US DMCA prohibits consumers disabling or circumventing access control software. ******************************************************************** For Listserv Instructions, see http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia Off-Topic threads: http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot Need more help? Send mail to: Cyberia-L-Request@... ********************************************************************
	Re: Pay up or your computer will become unusable by Robert Cannon :: Rate this Message: Reply to Author \| View Threaded \| Show Only this Message But how would the computer get on the computer in the first place without a violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act? --- Sean Donelan <sean@...> wrote: > Micro Billing Systems has developed software to > ensure people > pay their bills. If you don't pay, the software > will progressively > make your computer more and more unusable. > > In addition, MBS has demand anti-virus companies > such as Symantec > cease and desist from removing its nagging software > as malware. > > http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2091354,00.html > > Although these originated in the UK, the US DMCA > prohibits consumers > disabling or circumventing access control software. > > > ******************************************************************** > For Listserv Instructions, see > http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia > Off-Topic threads: > http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot > Need more help? Send mail to: > Cyberia-L-Request@... > ****************************************************************** > =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= Cybertelecom :: Federal Internet Law & Policy www.cybertelecom.org ****************************************************************** For Listserv Instructions, see http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia Off-Topic threads: http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot Need more help? Send mail to: Cyberia-L-Request@... ********************************************************************
	Re: Pay up or your computer will become unusable by Michael S. Fischer :: Rate this Message: Reply to Author \| View Threaded \| Show Only this Message Well, if the user agreed to install the software after the behavior was disclosed in a click-wrap agreement... --Michael On 7/12/07, Robert Cannon <rcannon100@...> wrote: > But how would the computer get on the computer in the > first place without a violation of the Computer Fraud > and Abuse Act? > > --- Sean Donelan <sean@...> wrote: > > > Micro Billing Systems has developed software to > > ensure people > > pay their bills. If you don't pay, the software > > will progressively > > make your computer more and more unusable. > > > > In addition, MBS has demand anti-virus companies > > such as Symantec > > cease and desist from removing its nagging software > > as malware. > > > > > http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2091354,00.html > > > > Although these originated in the UK, the US DMCA > > prohibits consumers > > disabling or circumventing access control software. > > > > > > > ******************************************************************** > > For Listserv Instructions, see > > http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia > > Off-Topic threads: > > http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot > > Need more help? Send mail to: > > Cyberia-L-Request@... > > > ****************************************************************** > > > > > =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= > Cybertelecom :: Federal Internet Law & Policy > www.cybertelecom.org > > > ****************************************************************** > For Listserv Instructions, see http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia > Off-Topic threads: http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot > Need more help? Send mail to: Cyberia-L-Request@... > ****************************************************************** > ****************************************************************** For Listserv Instructions, see http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia Off-Topic threads: http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot Need more help? Send mail to: Cyberia-L-Request@... ********************************************************************
	Re: Pay up or your computer will become unusable by Sean Donelan :: Rate this Message: Reply to Author \| View Threaded \| Show Only this Message A user of the computer voluntarily downloads and installs the software. The examples from the article are one of the family's teenage sons installed the software on the computer in order to access a porn web site. I suppose the parents could file charges against their son for violating the CFAA, i.e. exceeding the son's authority to use the computer. On Thu, 12 Jul 2007, Robert Cannon wrote: > But how would the computer get on the computer in the > first place without a violation of the Computer Fraud > and Abuse Act? > > --- Sean Donelan <sean@...> wrote: > >> Micro Billing Systems has developed software to >> ensure people >> pay their bills. If you don't pay, the software >> will progressively >> make your computer more and more unusable. >> >> In addition, MBS has demand anti-virus companies >> such as Symantec >> cease and desist from removing its nagging software >> as malware. >> >> > http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2091354,00.html >> >> Although these originated in the UK, the US DMCA >> prohibits consumers >> disabling or circumventing access control software. >> >> >> > ******************************************************************** >> For Listserv Instructions, see >> http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia >> Off-Topic threads: >> http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot >> Need more help? Send mail to: >> Cyberia-L-Request@... >> > ****************************************************************** >> > > > =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= > Cybertelecom :: Federal Internet Law & Policy > www.cybertelecom.org > > > ****************************************************************** > For Listserv Instructions, see http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia > Off-Topic threads: http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot > Need more help? Send mail to: Cyberia-L-Request@... > ****************************************************************** > ****************************************************************** For Listserv Instructions, see http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia Off-Topic threads: http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot Need more help? Send mail to: Cyberia-L-Request@... ********************************************************************
	Re: Pay up or your computer will become unusable by Ethan Ackerman :: Rate this Message: Reply to Author \| View Threaded \| Show Only this Message The article suggests the installation provided a good bit of installation notice and chioce/display of terms - for malware, at least. It would be interesting to sit down with state and federal debt collection laws and see how those treated the software. It's also worth sitting down with the specific terms in the DMCA definitions. 1201 deals with diabling/circumventing access control tech. more than it deals with _removing_ software. This is more analogous to uninstalling iTunes (or unplugging the cable box) than it is to deCSS-ing a DVD or descrambling Pay-per-view... On 7/12/07, Robert Cannon <rcannon100@...> wrote: > But how would the computer get on the computer in the > first place without a violation of the Computer Fraud > and Abuse Act? > > --- Sean Donelan <sean@...> wrote: > > > Micro Billing Systems has developed software to > > ensure people > > pay their bills. If you don't pay, the software > > will progressively > > make your computer more and more unusable. > > > > In addition, MBS has demand anti-virus companies > > such as Symantec > > cease and desist from removing its nagging software > > as malware. > > > > > http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2091354,00.html > > > > Although these originated in the UK, the US DMCA > > prohibits consumers > > disabling or circumventing access control software. > > > > > > > ******************************************************************** > > For Listserv Instructions, see > > http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia > > Off-Topic threads: > > http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot > > Need more help? Send mail to: > > Cyberia-L-Request@... > > > ****************************************************************** > > > > > =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= > Cybertelecom :: Federal Internet Law & Policy > www.cybertelecom.org > > > ****************************************************************** > For Listserv Instructions, see http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia > Off-Topic threads: http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot > Need more help? Send mail to: Cyberia-L-Request@... > ****************************************************************** > ****************************************************************** For Listserv Instructions, see http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia Off-Topic threads: http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot Need more help? Send mail to: Cyberia-L-Request@... ********************************************************************
	Re: Pay up or your computer will become unusable by Reese-3 :: Rate this Message: Reply to Author \| View Threaded \| Show Only this Message Michael S. Fischer wrote: > Well, if the user agreed to install the software after the behavior > was disclosed in a click-wrap agreement... Who really reads click-wrap agreement fine print? Haven't some, most, or all of those sort of over-the-barrel conditions been ruled out as unenforceable and/or not legally binding and if not, why haven't they? Reese ******************************************************************** For Listserv Instructions, see http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia Off-Topic threads: http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot Need more help? Send mail to: Cyberia-L-Request@... ********************************************************************
	Re: Pay up or your computer will become unusable by John Young-7 :: Rate this Message: Reply to Author \| View Threaded \| Show Only this Message Anybody who writes this is not to be understood much less trusted with the pulp fiction family jewels: >than it is to deCSS-ing a DVD or descrambling Pay-per-view... Soap mouth wash, heathen. ******************************************************************** For Listserv Instructions, see http://www.lawlists.net/cyberia Off-Topic threads: http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot Need more help? Send mail to: Cyberia-L-Request@... ********************************************************************