[IP] MS claims KMart can't transfer licenses in sale of BlueLight.com

[Dave Farber <dave@farber.net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org>
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 19:54:33 -0700
To: dave@farber.net
Subject: For IP: MS claims KMart can't transfer licenses in sale of
BlueLight.com

In a situation which pushes the limits of onerous license terms,
Microsoft is claiming that KMart cannot transfer software licenses when
it sells its BlueLight.com Internet service provider to United Online.
These apparently include the operating system licenses which came with
the computers that the ISP uses to do business.

If Microsoft and other software vendors are allowed to cancel licenses
upon the sale of companies, what does this do to the value of companies
-- or parts of companies -- that go on the block? Is it conscionable for
licenses to be cancelled upon transfer of ownership of equipment or
companies? See the news item at

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=582&e=1&cid=582&u=/nm/20021
029/wr_nm/retail_kmart_bluelight_dc

(apologies for the wrapping) for more.

--Brett Glass



------ End of Forwarded Message

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