EULAs For Malware

I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "The authors of the Zeus malware have added an end-user license agreement to their product. The buyer is, of course, permitted to infect as many computers with Zeus as they please, but they have no right to distribute it for 'any business or commercial purpose not connected with this sale,' and they can't examine the source, use it to control non-Zeus botnets, or send it to anti-virus companies. Oh, and they commit to paying for future upgrades, too — wouldn't Microsoft love to be able to add that term to their EULA. While it seems silly to imagine Zeus's authors going to the authorities for violations of this EULA, if they're anything like the Russian Business Network, they probably have an extra-judicial means of contract enforcement named Ivan. That said, this is by no means the first EULA-encrusted malware."

Re:Not Ivan ...

[Anonymous Coward]

**Cue MAC funboy fanboys** :P:P

But instead you get a grammar Nazi. In the context of computers, MAC is understood to be an acronym for Media Access Control. Mac is an abbreviation for Macintosh.

Better luck with your case sensitivity next time... **Cue MICROS~1 fanboys**

Re:Not Ivan ...

[damienl451]

A EULA need not be a shrink-wrap contract. If you are shown the EULA before you download the software, it's not invalid. It may also be valid if you have the option to send the software back to the publisher for a full refund (cf ProCD v. Zeidenberg). So-called "clickwrap" licenses are also okay in many cases.