This site is reporting that Microsoft recently changed their Windows licensing agreement (EULA) to stipulate that a change of motherboard is equivalent to purchasing a new computer, thus requiring the consumer to purchase an additional Windows license. First, it’s tough to tell if this is actually true (no second independent source here) Edit: this has been an existing policy for OEM and educational license; here’s the google cache for the retail EULA which does not have this limitation.
However, this still provides an excellent example of purchasing a physical copyrighted work, and being left unable to fully exercise what seems to be reasonable (a computer upgrade) because of licensing. Someone buys a cd with a program on it (albeit at a discounted price) and then is legally bound not to do what they might have had if it were a music cd (selling it, making a backup, etc.). What rights should one have when they purchase a physical work? …and should this be distinguished from buying a digital work.
Interestingly enough, this post brought me somewhere I’ve never been before: the Microsoft Windows homepage. It’s interesting that there’s very little in the line of marketing (no feature lists or things like one finds on the Apple OS X homepage). I guess when you have a near monopoly 🙂