MACHINE-READABLE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH AUTOMATED ACCEPTANCE

• US 20090265180A1
• Filed: 04/21/2008
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: See, Valerie R., Lenzmeier, Charles Thomas, Ward, Richard B., Ellison, Carl M., Parchem, John M., Havens, Darryl E.
• Application Number:
  US12/106,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20090265180A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/302
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/012 Providing warranty services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services

Abstract

A method of representing a first end-user license agreement (EULA) offered to a user and automatically responding to a subsequent EULA offered to the user is disclosed. The representation may be in a logical language having parameters corresponding to legal terms of the EULA, logical operators, and the capability to form and nest logical expressions. A logical library may store parameters corresponding to legal terms. A logical expression may be created that corresponds to a user'"'"'s term preferences, and may be evaluated using the terms of a subsequent EULA to automatically determine the user'"'"'s acceptance or rejection of the subsequent EULA. A user'"'"'s application preferences of the logical expressions and terms may be received and used by the method. EULA responses may be signified in a log and/or by sending a record or message to the offering party. A similar method is disclosed for other types of electronic agreements.

Claims

1. A method of representing a first end-user license agreement (EULA) offered to a user and automatically responding to a subsequent EULA offered to the user, the method comprising:

semantically representing at least one term of the first EULA using a machine-readable form;

receiving a term preference indication of a user preference for the at least one term;

storing the term preference indication using the machine-readable form;

automatically responding to the first EULA including the stored term preference indication; and

automatically responding to the subsequent EULA including the stored term preference indication;

wherein a set of terms of the subsequent EULA is deemed to be accepted by the user if a representative logical expression for the set of terms having a parameter for each member of the set of terms is evaluated to produce a result indicative of a user acceptance of the set of terms, the representative logical expression in the machine-readable form.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable form comprises a logical language having at least one parameter corresponding to the at least one term, at least one logical operator, a capability to create a logical expression from at least one of the at least one parameter and at least one of the at least one logical operator, and a capability to nest logical expressions.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing an update to the stored term preference indication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the term preference indication is stored on at least one of:

a computer of the user, a computer of a party offering at least one of the first or the subsequent EULA, a website, or a distributed computing system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an application preference indication of a user preference for applying the term preference indication, the application preference indication comprising at least one from a set of application preference indications, the set of application preference indications including;

applying the term preference indication to only a current EULA,

applying the term preference indication to future EULAs,

applying the term preference indication to a EULA offered by a specified party,

applying the term preference indication to a EULA for a specified type of product,

applying the term preference indication in conjunction with another term preference indication, and

removing a previously applied term preference indication;

storing the application preference indication; and

allowing an update to the application preference indication.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying at least one of the automatic response to the first EULA or the automatic response to the subsequent EULA.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising signifying the response to the first EULA by performing at least one from a set of steps, the set of steps including:

storing, in a machine log, an entry corresponding to the first EULA'"'"'s response,

sending, to an offering party of the first EULA, a digital record indicating the first EULA'"'"'s response, and

sending, to the offering party, a digital signature on a message indicating the first EULA'"'"'s response.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring compliance with the term preference indication included in the response to the first EULA and indicating a potential non-compliant condition prior to an occurrence of the potential non-compliant condition.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a default set of user term preference indications,

allowing an update to the default set of user term preference indications,

receiving a user application preference indication for each member of the default set, the user application preference indication comprising at least one of;

applying the each member of the default set of user term preference indications to a EULA offered by a specified party,

applying the each member of the default set to a EULA for a specified type of product,

applying the each member of the default set in conjunction with another each member of the default set, or

removing a previously applied user term preference indication;

allowing an update to the user application preference indication of the each member of the default set, and

including the default set of user term preference indications and the user application preference indication for the each member of the default set in the responses to the first and subsequent EULAs.

10. A method of electronically representing a first electronic agreement and automatically responding to a subsequent electronic agreement, the method comprising:

semantically representing at least one term of the first electronic agreement using a machine-readable form, the machine-readable form comprising a logical language including at least one parameter corresponding to the at least one term, at least one logical operator, and a capability to create a logical expression from at least one of the at least one parameter and at least one of the at least one logical operator;

receiving a term preference indication of a user preference for the at least one term;

automatically responding to the first electronic agreement including the term preference indication; and

automatically responding to the subsequent electronic agreement including the term preference indication,

wherein set of terms of the subsequent electronic agreement is deemed to be accepted by the user if a representative logical expression for the set of terms having a parameter for each member of the set of terms is evaluated to produce a result indicative of a user acceptance of the set of terms, the representative logical expression in the machine-readable form.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first electronic agreement is one from a set of types of electronic agreements comprising a service level agreement, a privacy use agreement and an end-user license agreement.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing the term preference indication on at least one of;

a computer of a user to which the first and subsequent electronic agreements are offered, a computer of a party offering at least one of the first or the subsequent electronic agreement, a website, or a distributed computing system, and

allowing an update to the stored term preference indication.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving an application preference indication of a user preference for applying the term preference indication, the application preference indication comprising at least one from a set of application preference indications, the set of application preference indications including;

applying the term preference indication to only a current electronic agreement,

applying the term preference indication to future electronic agreements,

applying the term preference indication to a specified type of electronic agreement,

applying the term preference indication to an electronic agreement offered by a specified party,

applying the term preference indication to an electronic agreement for a specified type of product,

applying the term preference indication in conjunction with another term preference indication, and

removing a previously applied term preference indication;

storing the application preference indication; and

allowing an update to the application preference indication.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising signifying the response to the first electronic agreement by at least one of:

storing, in a machine log, an entry corresponding to the first electronic agreement'"'"'s response,

sending, to an offering party of the first electronic agreement, a digital record indicating the first electronic agreement'"'"'s response, and

sending, to the offering party of the first electronic agreement, a digital signature on a message indicating the first electronic agreement'"'"'s response.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising monitoring compliance with the term preference indication included in the response to the first electronic agreement and indicating a potential non-compliant condition prior to an occurrence of the potential non-compliant condition.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a default set of user term preference indications,

allowing an update to the default set of user term preference indications,

receiving a user application preference indication for each member of the default set, the user application preference indication comprising at least one of;

applying the each member of the default set of user term preference indications to an electronic agreement offered by a specified party,

applying the each member of the default set to an electronic agreement for a specified type of product,

applying the each member of the default set in conjunction with another each member of the default set, or

removing a previously applied user term preference indication;

allowing an update to the user application preference indication of the each member of the default set, and

including the default set of user term preference indications and the user application preference indication for the each member of the default set in the responses to the first and subsequent electronic agreements.

17. A computer-readable medium with computer-executable instructions thereon for a logical language for semantically representing a set of terms of an electronic agreement offered to a party, the logical language comprising:

at least one parameter corresponding to at least one term of the set of terms of the electronic agreement;

at least one logical operator;

a capability to create a logical expression from at least one of the at least one parameter and at least one of the at least one logical operator;

a capability to nest logical expressions; and

a capability to sub-nest logical expressions;

wherein a portion of the set of terms of the electronic agreement is deemed to be accepted by the party if a representative logical expression in the logical language is evaluated to produce a result indicative of the party'"'"'s acceptance of the portion, the representative logical expression including a representative parameter for each term in the portion.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising computer-executable instructions for at least one of:

allowing a selection of the portion of the set of terms or allowing the party to create the representative logical expression.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising computer-executable instructions for translating between the logical language and a language readable by the party.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising computer-executable instructions for allowing access to a library of parameters corresponding to a library of terms used in electronic agreements.