Fox News reported today that British firm GameStation, a computer game retailer, announced that it "legally owns the souls of thousands of online shoppers, thanks to a clause in the terms and conditions agreed to by online shoppers." They added the "immortal soul clause" to the contract that purchasers are to agree to before they can make online purchases. It states that customers grant the company the right to claim their soul.

The statement reads: "By placing an order via this Web site on the first day of the fourth month of the year 2010 Anno Domini, you agree to grant Us a non transferable option to claim, for now and for ever more, your immortal soul. Should We wish to exercise this option, you agree to surrender your immortal soul, and any claim you may have on it, within 5 (five) working days of receiving written notification from gamesation.co.uk or one of its duly authorised minions."

GameStation's form continues: "We reserve the right to serve such notice in 6 (six) foot high letters of fire, however we can accept no liability for any loss or damage caused by such an act. If you a) do not believe you have an immortal soul, b) have already given it to another party, or c) do not wish to grant Us such a license, please click the link below to nullify this sub-clause and proceed with your transaction."

The retailer did this to emphasize that "no one reads the online terms and conditions of shopping, and companies are free to insert whatever language they want into the documents," Fox News reported. According to their experiment, "as many as 88 percent of people do not read the terms and conditions of a Web site before they make a purchase." About 7,500 were duped.

Tongue in cheek, GameStation stated that it would not be enforcing the ownership rights, and planned to e-mail customers nullifying any claim on their soul.

The story reminded me a much more solemn reality as expressed in a four-line poem written by Hester Cholmondeley:

Still as of old
Man by himself is priced;
For thirty pieces Judas sold
Himself, not Christ.