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Licensing rules..

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  • 16-04-2005 10:31am
    #1
    johnor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 635 ✭✭✭


    Hey just wondering if any of you guys know what the rules on on software licencing laws....Is there a way you can leave programs on a shared server and users can pull the programs off that server. Would it still be necessary for each user to have a liecence or is the licence only necessary for the server. Can you get a network liecnce or a company licence?

    cheers
    john


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    #2
    thesteve
    Registered Users Posts: 902 ✭✭✭thesteve


    It's specific to each software package. For example Microsoft Office, if you buy it in PC world, bog standard, it's only 1 license and you're not allowed to install it on more than one PC. For the same product you can buy a corporate license which allows you to install it on a given number of PC's...

    If you're caught for breaking the licensing laws, I think its a 250,000 fine (for the IT manager/person responsible) and up to 5 years in jail, I think, could be wrong on specifics...


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    #3
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 91,687 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    The license depends on the software. In the case of microsoft it can also depend on the date you buy the software and which patches you apply to it and in the case of one (media player ?) the license says the terms used are those on the microsoft web site - so you'd have to check it on a regular basis in case it changed !!!

    For Microsoft Applications you need one license per clinet not per concurrent connection. Even with corporate licenses you still have to buy one license per client. With Apple you only need to buy 10 licenses for a server, after that you can connect as many clinets to it as you want.

    We've had to buy MSaccess licences for Apple MAC's so a report could be viewed on terminal server. There is no Msaccess for MAC.. The rules also apply to PDA's , for SQL they allow you to use a per processor license as otherwise every device that accessed that queried the server would need a sepeate license (in our case most devices would only access the server less than once a week - the previous version of SQL was concurrent clients)

    OEM licences are Faustian, a work of pure genius, guaranteeing microsoft royalty for years.

    In general windows should be bought OEM and NOT upgraded - simply because hardware is cheaper than software and upgrades involve a lot of faffing about. Applications should never be bought OEM as then you can move them around later on.

    microsoft do a three day course on licencing for experianced microsoft resellers , the average person doesn;t have a chance in understanding all the neuances involved. eg: over most of the last decade (when the upgrade rules have allowed it) it's usually been cheaper to buy works and upgrade to office standard than to buy a retail copy of excel. But if you upgrade an OEM license it's still an OEM license and dies with the machine.

    Bottom line - it depends on the application and the version as well and the license you bought it under (and in the case of terminal server CAL's what date you bought the software)

    What apps are they as there may be alternatives ..


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