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I realize that this question is extremely vague, but I am wondering if (as a general rule) it is against the terms of standard EULAs to install on WINE.

For example, I have a licensed copy of Adobe CS5 that is currently installed on Win7 that if I could legally and functionally run on Ubuntu, would make my life much easier.

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The Internet is not a good source of legal advice. You would have to ask a lawyer to examine the specific EULA in question in order to get a reliable answer. – OrbWeaver Jul 11 '11 at 7:27
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The internet is not a good source of a lot of different types of advice, although it tends to be better than the local pub. =P – Randolf Richardson Jul 11 '11 at 8:03

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It depends completely on the EULA. If it reads something along the line of "must be installed within a properly-licensed copy of a Microsoft Windows operating system" then yes, it would be a violation of the EULA to install it under wine. But very few EULAs are likely to say this, since the operating system is not their problem beyond a certain minimum spec.

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Also, most vendors probably don't care much anyway so long as their own product is paid for at least. Any legal wording that limits to a specific vendor's OS will either be for other products by that same vendor, or a "cover their butts" type of move. – Randolf Richardson Jul 11 '11 at 8:02
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Note that such restrictions may be nil in some jurisdictions where it would be considered an illegal cross-sale. That's where you get requirements like "Intel Pentium or compatible" from. – MSalters Jul 11 '11 at 10:14
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I'm not a lawyer, but aside from most of Microsoft "freebies" it shouldn't, so long as you aren't forced to break DRM to get it working, at which point DMCA issues could come in. Otherwise the larger concern is the lack of support - the software vendor will likely tell you that you are on your own with any issues, and you may break or at least render useless any service agreements you may have.

Read the EULA carefully though, and ask a lawyer about anything you don't understand.

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Vendors normally tell you that you're on your own anyway. – Randolf Richardson Jul 11 '11 at 8:00

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