Viral “agreements”
8 March 2008 - 2 אדר ב' 5768 by Huw
I get this on the bottom of emails when sent from various companies:
This e-mail, including attachments, may include confidential and/or proprietary information, and may be used only by the person or entity to which it is addressed. If the reader of this e-mail is not the intended recipient or his or her authorized agent, the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by replying to this message and delete this e-mail immediately.
I love the implication that the recipient - intended or not - is bound by a non-negotiated contract that the sender has simply imposed in a one-sided “agreement” and “the reader is hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail is prohibited.”
I include the following in replies to all such folks:
READ CAREFULLY. By reading this email, you agree, on behalf of your employer, to release me from all obligations and waivers arising from any and all NON-NEGOTIATED agreements, licenses, terms-of-service, shrinkwrap, clickwrap, browsewrap, confidentiality, non-disclosure, non-compete and acceptable use policies (”BOGUS AGREEMENTS”) that I have entered into with your employer, its partners, licensors, agents and assigns, in perpetuity, without prejudice to my ongoing rights and privileges. You further represent that you have the authority to release me from any BOGUS AGREEMENTS on behalf of your employer.
It’s useful.
He he: love it. Well done.