[NTLUG:Discuss] Fear and Loathing in Redmond...

[Christopher Browne]

On Thu, 05 Apr 2001 15:34:55 CDT, the world broke into rejoicing as
Bug Hunter <bughuntr at one.ctelcom.net>  said:
> 
>   As an update, I read where Microsoft has taken such heat over this that
> they are changing the terms soon....
> 
> On Tue, 3 Apr 2001, Christopher Browne wrote:
> 
> > The following just came across the LPI mailing list; apparently Microsoft
> > is claiming that anything that is transmitted through one of their
> > services will be treated as being "Copyright Microsoft."
> > 
> > - If you send a business plan via Hotmail?  Microsoft owns it.
> > 
> > - If you send love notes to a significant other?  Microsoft has the right
> >   to republish, publicly display, transfer, or sell such communication.

Note that there _is_ a legitimate reason for there to be _some_ portion of
the relevant terms, namely the fact that transmission of the data from 
sender to recipient requires that Microsoft make one or more copies.  

The fact that the Internet _isn't_ a spectacularly reliable way of
sending information means that there is a chance that messages may not
go to the expected destination with perfect reliability.

A set of "terms" that recognized that might appear paranoid, but would
not be an outrageous thing.  Microsoft has gone a mite further, of
course...
--
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