[P1] OT: Software Licensing

[Jack Rodgers]

On Wednesday, July 9, 2003, at 10:39  PM, NIKON'S WORLD wrote:

> I only spent $3000 on my car so there is no way that I am going to 
> spend an extra $500 for a second copy of photoshop for my laptop. As 
> long as I can, whether it legal or not I will continue purchasing one 
> copy of products and using it on both machines.

You'll probably never have any problems doing so as an individual 
unless you post such on a list and attract attention to yourself.

Note that it is against the law to do so, unless specified in your 
license, and you can be fined up to $50,000 and spend 5 or ten years in 
jail for doing so. If the law were ever enforced we'd have more people 
in jail for piracy than drug violations.

Someday soon, you will have to register the software via the internet 
after it recognizes that it has been moved to a new machine. If the old 
registration hasn't been canceled, you won't be able to register it or 
use it.

I have proposed that instead of just licensing the machine, we also 
offer a license for the individual. Thus a corporation can buy licenses 
for their machines which can be used by anyone and an individual can be 
licensed so that he can use the software on any machine that doesn't 
have a server license.

Then you could walk up to a computer, insert your card and work on the 
software. The software could be given away but no one could use it who 
didn't have a licensed card. This is many years away but I would bet we 
would see it in the future. The driver's license will probably evolve 
into being used as a credit card and as a storage for other info.

---
Historically the ideas that tend to make everyone mad are the ideas 
that become socially accepted in a decade or so.

<http://www.JackRodgers.com>
JackRodgers at earthlink.net