>Rick,
>
>>Chen is operating illegally from VFP9's EULA's allowances.
>
>No he is not. read the EULA again. It has clauses in there that allows him to do what he does.

What are they? I'll be happy to find out with certainty that I'm wrong and Chen is not violating the law.

I've already agreed that it's possible in China Chen is not breaking the law, and that it's possible in non-U.S. countries they can use Chen's work without breaking the law. Those are all possibilities and not certainties.

What I've said is that U.S. citizens and U.S. corporations, and those other nations that have commerce treaties in effect with the U.S. which honor our IP, are definitely breaking the law if they install Chen's work.

I gave an example to relate to, that if in country X marijuana growing, sales, distribution, and recreational use, is all legal and people doing the same are not breaking the law. That doesn't mean you can buy it here in America and have it shipped here because it's legal there, because it's still illegal here.

It's where you are that determines the legality, and in the U.S. it is illegal to violate the terms of the EULA. But, even in other countries this agreement goes further (see below).

>You own him an appology

I will gladly apologize to Chen if he is not breaking the law. But I do not know that he isn't. What I do know is that at some point he agreed to Microsoft's EULA by clicking through "I Accept" or "I Agree", and he is violating that agreement. I know this because you cannot install the software unless you agree.

There are also other factors at work that come down to a two-fold position: (1) do you go with what your government allows (and I used the example of abortion being legal, or if slavery is legal, or if other damaging-to-life things are legal does that make it right?), or (2) do you go with what you've personally agreed to abide by when you click that "I Agree" or "I Accept" button?

Each person chooses for themselves, and my position is that when you agree to something, even something as trivial as an "I Accept" button click, you should honor it because it's not about the click, it's about what that click represents. That's what you're clicking to/thru, not the existence of a button.