If the customer does not wish to abide by these terms, it becomes his responsibility to bring the software back to the place of purchase. Needless to say, this opens up a considerable opportunity for abuse. Already, McAfee has specified that no benchmarks of certain products may be published without their prior consent. Aside from restricting users' ability to discuss McAfee's product alongside its competitors, this clause could prevent consumers from obtaining accurate and unbiased product information that could impact purchasing decisions. In order to ensure that clauses like this one cannot be used in license agreements, the burden falls on the consumer to demonstrate, in court, how this clause is in conflict with public policy.
Reverse engineering is a common practice that fosters interoperability.
An individual or organization takes apart an object that they have purchased in order to determine how it works, so that they can develop alternative technologies that are compatible with existing, proprietary, ones.