MICROSOFT wants you to abandon your hard drive and keep all your files and
programs on a remote server, from where you would download them when they鈥檙e
needed. But a storm blew up last week when someone noticed that the 鈥渃onditions
of service鈥� for the system, called .NET, appeared to claim copyright on anything
it stores.
That would have given Bill Gates rights over anything you wrote on your
computer, whether it was your latest novel, a patent for a new invention or a
love letter. Microsoft has now retracted the conditions.
Microsoft says that with .NET you can access all your files from anywhere in
the world. And instead of having to buy expensive applications like Word or
PowerPoint, you鈥檇 save money by downloading them from .NET and paying by the hour
(New Scientist, 1 July 2000, p 10).
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But Internet users reacted with horror last week after a subscriber on a
computer risks newsgroup posted the terms of use for Microsoft鈥檚 Passport
software, which will provide user authentication for .NET. The terms said users
licensed Microsoft to 鈥渦se, modify, copy, distribute or transmit鈥� any messages,
files or data posted using the system. The licence went on to give Microsoft
patent rights to ideas contained in files. One patents expert described the
terms as 鈥渙utrageous鈥� while another questioned their enforceability.
Microsoft now says it was all a mistake. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e old terms of use,鈥� says a
spokeswoman. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an internal mistake and they should have been updated ages
ago. They should only refer to feedback between the user and Microsoft.鈥� Rights
to any ideas for improving .NET services would be Microsoft鈥檚, but not your
novel or latest invention.