Game Store to Customers: We Own Your Souls
By Jared Newman
In the age of the End User License Agreement, customers are subjected to all sorts of legalese that they don’t understand and will probably screw the over at some point in the future. One video game retailer, U.K.-based GameStation, took the idea to extremes and claimed the souls of everyone who purchased something on April 1, 2010. GameStation’s “immortal soul clause” granted the retailer “a non transferable option to claim, for now and for ever more, your immortal soul.”
More from GameStation’s EULA:
[We] reserve the right to serve such notice in 6 (six) foot high letters of fire, however we can accept no liability for any loss or damage caused by such an act. If you a) do not believe you have an immortal soul, b) have already given it to another party, or c) do not wish to grant Us such a license, please click the link below to nullify this sub-clause and proceed with your transaction.
Customers were allowed to opt out by clicking a check box, and those who did received a 5-pound voucher. Nice April Fool’s gag, but one with a sad message: 88 percent of customers –roughly 7,500 people — either didn’t notice the clause or were content to give away their souls as part of their purchase. Clearly, EULAs need an overhaul. On the bright side, GameStation said it will e-mail customers to nullify the immortal soul clause, just in case you’re really worried. [via Fox News and NewsLite]
