A news story from a couple of years ago shows how a company can use a license agreement to excuse unexpected billing and electronic harassment. A certain popcorn.net offered 3-day trial software. Buried in the license agreement was a requirement that users give a cancellation notice within three days or be subject to billing, enforced by ongoing frequent popups which couldn't be removed. Several parties took legal action against Digital Enterprises, Inc., the owner of popcorn.net, calling the practice "extortionware." The license agreement (quoted in a third-party PDF; I can't guarantee its accuracy, but it's consistent with reports on multiple web sites) states plainly what they intended to do:
IF YOU DO NOT EITHER CANCEL OR PROVIDE PAYMENT INFORMATION DURING THE TRIAL PERIOD OUR BILLING SOFTWARE WILL BE ENABLED UPON THE EXPIRATION OF YOUR TRIAL PERIOD. THE BILLING SOFTWARE WILL RUN ON YOUR COMPUTER, DISPLAYING POP-UP WINDOW REMINDERS THAT PROVIDE YOU WITH VARIOUS METHODS OF PAYMENT FOR THE ANNUAL LICENSE. THESE POP-UP WINDOWS WILL APPEAR MORE FREQUENTLY UNTIL YOU CHOOSE ONE OF THE PAYMENT OPTIONS AND PAY FOR THE LICENSE.
...
IF YOU FAIL TO PAY OR CANCEL DURING THE TRIAL PERIOD, YOU ARE LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO PURCHASE AN ANNUAL LICENSE TO THE MEDIAPIPE SOFTWARE AT THE PRICE LISTED IN THE ADVERTISEMENT YOU CLICKED THROUGH TO INITIATE INSTALLATION.
There are reports that many users found the software had been surreptitiously installed on their computer. But even with those who installed it by choice, most undoubtedly didn't read the license and thus didn't know they were "agreeing" to pay money for the "free trial."
As far as I can tell, popcorn.net is dead at present, but it still serves as a stark warning of what might lurk in the licenses which people don't read.
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