Worried Wally writes:
I got an interesting letter from
Microsoft last week: they were offering me amnesty if I pay to
license all my "pirated software" within the next two months. I'm
not sure how they got my name, address, and email, but I had a
business for several years.... I've never been too concerned with
the Software Publishers'
Association, since I don't bootleg and sell software, but I
don't want Federal Marshals kicking in my front door and seizing
fifteen years collection of Macs and floppies. Over the years I
bought several used Macs, all with software on them - most with the
original floppies and install disks.
Do I own this software or not? The original owners are not using
copies of these applications or even upgrades, so I'm the only
person in possession and, since I have a brand spanking new iMac DV
with system 9, I don't really "use" my old computers except to play
with.
I don't know if the SPA is after casual users or just businesses
making money using unlicensed software, but I'm reminded of Garth
Brooks insisting that he should get $3 in royalties every time
someone sold one of his old CDs at a garage sale.
Believe it or not, you probably don't own any software at all
unless you've written it yourself. When you buy a software package,
all you're buying is a license, the right to use that software.
To further complicate matters, different programs are licensed
in different ways. Some are licensed per user: you may have the
program on more than one computer as long as you are the only one
using it. Some are licensed per active copy: the program can be on
multiple computers, but only one copy can be in use at any time.
Some are licensed per computer: several people can use the
computer, but the copy can only be installed on a single machine.
And with
UCITA, things are getting even stranger - software publishers
will be able to license software on an annual basis, check your use
of it over the Net, and even deactivate it if you don't pay your
renewal fee.
That said, as far as older software is concerned, the rule of
thumb is that if you have the original disks, you are licensed to
use the program. You should read the license agreement if you have
more than one computer to see if licensing is per active user, per
computer, etc.
As for how Microsoft got your name, address, and phone number,
Microsoft figures that anyone who owns a computer could be running
unlicensed copies of Microsoft programs. There's no need to take
things personally.
