Google Says ‘May Not Resell’ in Google Glass User Agreement - East Idaho News
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Google Says ‘May Not Resell’ in Google Glass User Agreement

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GETTY B 062812 GoogleGlasses?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1366326108314David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — It seems as if there’s something new to learn just about every day when it comes to Google Glass, the company’s new Internet-connected glasses that show digital information right in front of your eyes.

Now, as those lucky enough to be given Explorer status will begin to receive their Explorer Glass devices, some may be surprised to find that, in a possibly un-Google-like manner, the company has written, Do not “resell, loan, or transfer” language in the user agreement.

So what will the penalty be if you fork over the $1,500 and then decide to pass your brand-new device on to someone else? The company says they can remotely turn your device into a fancy-looking forehead ornament.

“Google reserves the right to deactivate the Device, and neither you nor the unauthorized person using the Device will be entitled to any refund, product support, or product warranty,” as stated in the Glass Explorer Edition terms of service.

This week, Google announced that Glass Explorers (the winners of its #ifihadglass contest, as well as those that registered at Google I/O 2012) will be getting devices “in waves in the coming weeks.”

One Explorer, asked to be referred to as “Ed from Philadelphia,” actually posted his device for sale on eBay before receiving it … and before reading the Explorer Edition terms of service, according to Forbes.

“I took the auction down after learning that those Explorers who already received their Glass had gotten terms of service agreements prohibiting the sale or transfer of the device,” he told Forbes.

Though “Ed” created the eBay listing with a starting bid of $5,000, the price shot all the way up to $95,300 before he terminated the auction.

“I didn’t want to jeopardize my getting a pair of Glass… So, I voluntarily removed the auction and I’m still excited to get the Glass even if I cannot sell it,” he explained.

It is important to point out that the Glass Explorer Edition device has its own terms of service listed on the Google website. The general terms of service for Glass state, “You may not commercially resell any Device, but you may give the Device as a gift, unless otherwise set forth in the Device Specific Addendum.”

So, though some Explorers may feel bound tight, not even given the ability to “loan” their devices out at their pleasure, regular Glass buyers may not see quite the same level of restriction when Google begins selling a version to the public later this year.

ABC News contacted Google for comment on these terms of service, but the company did not immediately respond.

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