Ouch!!! Lots of lawyers are going to be grinding their teeth over this one in the weeks to come.
Very confusing. Can someone out there “bottom line” what is going on here. What exactly was it that Vernor did that Autodesk didn’t like?
This is some great news! I know many people ahve been hampered because of these BS UNCONSTITUTIONAL license agreements.
Does Autodesk even use a hardware key on any of their products? I’ve got a copy of Autocad 2000 and there’s no security whatsoever. Every other CAD and CAM system I’ve used had a USB or Parallel dongle.
The reason I ask is because with the current system I’m using (Esprit), the USB key is their property and I have to give it back if they ask for it (I have a dealer license, I’m not sure if the general license is that way or not).
the Timothy S. Vernor story:
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
The Man Who Dared to Sell AutoCAD R14 on eBay
For seven years a soft-spoken Seattle resident by the name of Timothy S. Vernor made a decent living selling stuff on eBay. Mostly he sold vintage comic books, but also whatever else he could get cheap and pass along to a waiting market. continued
According to Autodesk's EULA (End Users License Agreement) AutoCAD is nontransferable and when you "purchase" AutoCAD you are not actually purchasing the software, but a "license" to use the software. This EULA reads "by opening the sealed software packet(s), you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this license agreement". There is a major problem here; the EULA is inside of the packaging, therefore the end user has no idea of this "agreement" until they've opened the software.
Tim Vernor sent us an update on his case. It appears that all the attention he has received has helped. An attorney for Public Citizen Litigation Group has agreed to represent him against Autodesk. Go to their website, www.citizen.org, to get updates on the case. You can sign up for email updates as well. The Litigation Group's website can be found here.
Federal Judge Rules Against Anti-Consumer Copyright Claim
Public Citizen scored an important victory this week for anyone who buys or sells items on Web sites such as eBay. In refusing to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Timothy Vernor, a Public Citizen client, a judge made it clear that people have the right to resell legally obtained, copyrighted material. The decision helps protects consumers from abusive tactics and promotes a healthy, competitive market for second-hand goods.continued
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