contract law: February 2008 Archives

Slashdot tells us that a company associated with Jon Lech Johansen (a/k/a 'DVD Jon') has released a beta version of software called 'doubleTwist', which will 'free your media', and does various semi-useful things, including circumventing the DRM on Apple iTunes files and converting them to MP3 format.

Of course, use of the doubleTwist software is subject to an End User Licence Agreement, Terms of Service agreement, and Privacy Policy.  If/when you read them, a stench of rank hypocrisy lingers in the air, as does a suspicion that DVD Jon has sold out, and taken on many characteristics of the evil corporations he's waged war against.  Amongst other things, the agreements allow the use and collection of personal information for delivering targeted advertising (despite their website describing doubleTwist as having 'no adware'), and prohibits users from circumventing DRM used by doubleTwist -- even though doubleTwist circumvents DRM used by other companies.

Relatively non-controversial parts of these agreements are not excerpted for copyright reasons.  Not that DVD Jon seems to give a damn about copyright...