It's just that until last week, nobody bothered to act after reading the fine print. And that's the problem with terms of service agreements.
Legal experts say the soundness of such terms is shaky at best.
They say that many of their clauses might stand up in court, but not without a fight. There has to be a meeting of the minds. For example, by reading this article, you're implicitly granting Terra Lycos, which owns Wired News, indemnity from any possible damages the site may cause you. If the article crashes your computer or sickens you to the point you need a doctor, you'd better have a good insurance policy, friend, as Terra Lycos is not responsible. It's like adhesive tape, it sticks to you, and you don't have any choice.