How to tell if software is pirated?

[Dollie]

I was out on the web shopping for additional licenses for some software today and noticed HUGE price differences between the vendor/author of the software and with other vendors on the web. I was at a comparison site where I could sort by price, and I found the exact software I was looking for, for over $700 less than the vendor.

This could be pirated or stolen software. It could be OEM software (OEM cannot be resold). How do I tell before I purchase? Am I stuck spending $700 more by purchasing direct?

 

[chiph]

I would ask the vendor if it's an OEM version. I would also ask what their return privledge is in case it shows up with a "only for sale with a new PC" sticker.

But, it may also be the difference between the retail and wholesale price of the item. Enterprise software has a large mark-up.

Chip H.


____________________________________________________________________
If you want to get the best response to a question, please read FAQ222-2244 first

 

[fredericofonseca]

Depending on the country OEM CAN be resold, this regardless of what the "license" may mention.

Regards

Frederico Fonseca
SysSoft Integrated Ltd

http://www.syssoft-int.com

 

[SemperFiDownUnda]

check the actual license. If you purchase software you should get a license with it.

Depending on where you are, like fred says, check if software licenses are allow to be transfered. Check if the license allows transfer. Also talk to who ever you will be registering your software with. $700 is worth a few emails.



Hope I've been helpful,
Wayne Francis

If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[strongm]

Frederico, can you tell us where OEM versions are legitimately sold?

 

[Dollie]

AFAIK, OEM versions are not legitimately resold in the U.S.

One thing that I have noticed is that the particular piece of software I'm purchasing licenses for (a large AV solution) has "certified resellers" (large distribution companies). None of the companies with reasonable prices are "certified resellers", but they all beat out the competition with $200 software compared to the same thing at $900.

I guess if I want to keep everything above board, I should probably spend the $900 to keep it legit.

 

[Nortellian]

Ask for a lower price.

 

[Dimandja]

Dollie,

If at all possible, publish the name of the software you are interested in. Some of us have some knowledge of the software resale business, and could advise.

 

[Dollie]

I guess I can't get in too much trouble for it....(?)

I need more (user/workstation) licenses for the corp edition (enterprise/server edition) of Symantec AV.

 

[Dimandja]

Did you note the version numbers being advertized?

Also, because of the competition, many of these packages have been recently heavily discounted.

For example, you can obatin AV software today for very little, with the promise of subscribing within a year.

I'll look into who sells the one you need.

 

[Dollie]

It's v8.1. I've been looking at a shopping site that rhymes with googol

 

[Dimandja]

Unless I'm mistaken, the latest/current version is 9.0.

Tell me if this is what you are looking for:

http://www.nextag.com/Symantec_10user_sav_8~57337519z0znzzz1zzsymantec_enterprisezmainz2-htm

 

[Dimandja]

This is the latest edition I think:

http://www.nextag.com/serv/main/buyer/OutPDir.jsp?search=Symantec+9.0+&node=0&x=63&y=14

You can see the discrepancy in pricing. I believe version 8.1 is now very discounted as you saw advertized.

 

[edfair]

There has been a continuing arguement about OEM sales in the United States. Microsoft created the problem when they allowed OEM to be sold for upgrades and repairs. If you will notice on ebay, people selling OEM software will state that the software comes with memory, motherboard, or hard drive to comply with MS's OEM sales policies. And that the parts are not guaranteed to work.
So far as I know, because I got into the market after the issue was settled, Microsoft attempted to shut down google sales of OEM software, but because there was a large enough gray area that was going to be shoved down MS's throat, that the 2 companies agreed on the policy requiring the parts that were the original qualifiers.
It is also interesting that some multipacks of product can be legitimately sold without the qualifiers. That is dependent on the seller agreement with MS.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[fredericofonseca]

Strongm,

General European law prevents that, and there is at least some court decision on Germany that explicitly prohibits that type of clause.

Other countries outside Europe may have the same type of laws.

Regards

Frederico Fonseca
SysSoft Integrated Ltd

http://www.syssoft-int.com

 

[Dollie]

From the statements made here, it appears that the software licensing I'm looking at is perfectly legal to purchase. I just want to be sure that if we ever get audited our licenses are correct.

 

[edfair]

Ask your seller for verification that it complies with the distro agreement with the software owner's requirements.
Hopefully you are dealing with a company, not a "fly by night" individual, and that you can find the company as an existing organization with some history.
It isn't always foolproof, but it is a start.