Admit it: you never read the fine print when installing software. That became amusingly evident back in 2008 when an astute user discovered that in the End-User License Agreement (known as the EULA) for iTunes, Apple prohibits the use of its products in “the development, design, manufacture or production” of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.
Upon learning of this caveat, one Internet commentator made the tongue-in-cheek suggestion that iNukes might be a more appropriate app for that.
EULAs and you:
- An EULA is a contract between the manufacturer and the purchaser, establishing the purchaser's right to use the software. The license often defines the ways in which the software may or may not be used.
- One common criticism is that EULAs are often far too lengthy for users to thoroughly read. In May 2011, for example, the iTunes agreement was 56 pages long.
- A Gamestation EULA once included a clause stating that users forfeited their soul to the company -- and 7,500 users agreed. You could opt out of the "immortal soul" clause, but few users checked the box. Gamestation concluded that 88 percent of users did not read the agreement.