Google To Glass Owners: Don't Sell Them, And Don't Share Them

Do you know someone slated to get a pair of Glass Explorer edition frames in the next few weeks? Are you hoping to borrow them for a week or so? You might be out of luck the same way those who want to sell their pair for a markup are. Buyers may have paid $1,500 for the frames, but Google retains the power to kill the device from afar, something it says it will do if users violate its terms of service. And no, you won't get a refund when your glasses go dark.

Taking a gander at Google's Terms of Service, we see that Explorer edition owners are not allowed to "resell, loan, transfer, or give [their] device to any other person. If [owners] resell, loan, transfer, or give [their] device to any other person without Google's authorization, Google reserves the right to deactivate the device, and neither [the owner] nor the unauthorized person using the device will be entitled to any refund, product support, or product warranty."

Such shackles on a device you own is more than disappointing, but is a trend that is slowly working its way to the forefront. What we don't know right now is whether such restrictions will also apply to the regular variety of Glass once it is available for anyone to buy. According to Wired, the Internet giant declined commenting on the terms of service, and didn't answer whether it will change in the future.

As with most of us when we make a purchase, at least one Google Glass owner didn't read the terms of service, and he promptly created an Ebay auction, which he later took down after the terms were pointed out to him. Likewise, don't try to loan out or sell your Glass device under Google's nose – it'll know when the Google account is changed, and your device might suffer from a quick flip of the "off" switch.

[via Wired]