I think the way Timothy Geigner described the incident is very fitting [1]:

> VPNSecure Lifetime Subscriptions: Now You Didn't License What You Licensed, Either

[1] https://www.techdirt.com/2025/05/20/vpnsecure-lifetime-subsc...

This seems to be an increasingly popular angle for large corporations.

Disney tried it with royalties for Star Wars authors not long ago: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/sta...

Small discussion (16 points, 11 days ago, 10 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43865593

> VPNSecure was acquired in 2023, “including the technology, domain, and customer database—but not the liabilities.”

Can I do this too?