Apple Urges Wired To Remove Hackintosh Video, Article
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Wed 14th Jan 2009 20:55 UTC
Apple It appears that Apple is not just going after Psystar when it comes to running Mac OS X on non-Apple branded computers. Wired's gadget blog was running a story, accompanied by a video, demonstrating how to install Mac OS X on a non-Apple netbook. After Apple contacted Wired, the website took down the video.
E-mail Print r 1   · Read More · 60 Comment(s) http://osne.ws/g11
Permalink for comment 343815
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Bernhard
Member since:
2008-11-12

Yet again, one might say, lets try to get clear about this.

There are two contracts which are independent of each other, the purchase contract and the Eula.

It is the Eula, and not the purchase contract, that forbids the installer to tell people how to install on non-Apple hardware.

But Wired cannot be bound by the Eula since they never clicked through. The purchase of a copy, which they may or may not have done, was (as Softman shows), if they did it, a purchase of a copy and not a license of anything. By purchasing the software you are not bound by the Eula. That only happens when you click through.

Of course they did click through the damn thing. They DID install the OS to a computer, which cannot be done without clicking through the damn license!
What is written in a Eula is not a law. Apple cannot stop Wired from publishing instructions on how to do something, by publishing terms in a Eula.

Of course it's not a law. But it's a breach of contract which allows Apple to sue them at civil court. Which is totally enough, given how ridiculous amounts of compensation can be imposed by court in the US.
The second point is that simply purchasing the software does not result in your being found by the Eula. This follows from Softman, in which a company bought software, did not click through, and was then held not to be bound by the terms of a Eula they had not entered into. In Softman it was also held that the purchase of a copy of software was just that, purchase of a copy and not a license.

So you can resell unopened boxes. Fine! No one ever questioned that. But this case is totally different: Wired DID enter into the license by installing the software. But they breached the license not only by installing the thing to non-Apple Hardware, but also by enabling others (a lot of others) to do so. This clause may or may not be invalidated in the future, but right now it's valid.

Reply Parent Score: 1