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On 22 Mar 2010, at 22:04, KH wrote: |
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> Am 22.03.2010 23:01, schrieb Stroller: |
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>> |
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>> On 22 Mar 2010, at 19:21, KH wrote: |
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>>> Am 22.03.2010 20:17, schrieb Mick: |
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>>> |
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>>>> TBH, I wouldn't pay money for it but as many OEM impose a |
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>>>> MSWindows tax on all of us I had no other option if I wanted to |
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>>>> buy this particular laptop. |
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>>> ... |
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> |
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> In Germany you are still free to sell the software to a third person |
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> who is insane enough to buy Windows ;-) |
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I believe the precedent set by that court decision applies throughout |
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Europe, however I don't think anyone else has followed it up. |
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There was a guy on uk.adverts.computer (might be uk.adverts.computers, |
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I'm not sure) who used to make a good business buying end of life |
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corporate PCs and breaking them, mostly for the licenses. Great bloke, |
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everyone loved him, always had great deals or could do you one. |
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One day he got a threatening letter from Microsoft about reselling |
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these license stickers, which he was doing absolutely legitimately |
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under EU law, and had to close down his business as a consequence. He |
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contacted a commercial solicitors and they were happy to take the |
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case, confident in the outcome precedented by the German decision, but |
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wanted a deposit of £20,000 ($30,000 US now, but I think more like |
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$40k at the time). |
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This was money he simply didn't have, or that he wasn't prepared to |
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risk. I would imagine the actual costs of pursuing the case could run |
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much higher, perhaps to in excess of £100,000. It's obvious that |
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Microsoft would quite happily run you bankrupt with pre-trial requests |
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to your lawyers, and drag things out with various legal motions, |
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rather than actually lose the case. |
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Stroller. |
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