Need licensing advice on upgrading 6.0 or purchasing 7.0 new. 2

[mayamay]

I've downloaded and read the Pagemaker licensing agreement and from what I can gather, it is legal to have it installed on two work stations where you work and a copy on your home computer if you use all three at a different time.
I also gather that you can be given an old version from someone and purchase an upgrade without having to buy the full package. Considering the licensing agreement was small type and six pages long, I'm not sure I have all this correct, but the question of the day is:
Has anyone been given an older version of Pagemaker, bought the update and registered it on line? Is this allowable? I contacted an Adobe rep and he said I would have to buy 7.0 from them for $565! (I've seen it elsewhere for $365)I want to be legal, but I was thinking more on the lines of just buying another update (70-80 dollars) rather than a whole new program - i.e. installing the old 6.0 on a new workstation and then buying a 7.0 update. Considering it would be in the same office and primarily (almost exclusively) used by the same person, I don't have too many guilt feelings, but what's everyone's take on this? If I try to register the 7.0 update will it detect the 6.0 disk and tell me I can't do it? I want to be legal but I don't want to ripped off either.

 

[jimoblak]

Has anyone been given an older version of Pagemaker, bought the update and registered it on line? Is this allowable?

If you mean 'given' from a legal source who is not using the software anymore then YES, you could use it to upgrade from (some folks think they can donate software to others and continue to use the software - - which is not legal). If the giver is still using it, then NO.

You register the 7.0 upgrade with the serial of the 6.0 disk. At that point, you should not have any computer running version 6. You cannot run 6 from one computer and an upgrade of 7 on another computer if they are both using the same version 6 serial/license.

 

[viol8ion]

If you are given a copy of PM as a gift, there is a procedure to switch registration from original user to yyou. As jimoblak says, they cannot continue to use their copy, they must remove it from their computer.

You absolutely cannot run PM6.0 on one and PM7.0 on another simulataneously. You can keep PM6.0 installed on the computer that has PM7.0, as Adobe explicitly allows this and designs their software to not overwrite previous version installs. This is done to benefit people that require the app work for their business, and it is to ensure that the new vs does not flake out and disrupt workflow by allowing you the option to go to the known working previous version.

I am not sure whether Adobe allows you to have a copy of PM7.0 on both a work and a home computer that will be used at separate times. I won't comment on that. When in doubt, deny all terms and defnitions.

http://www.wuli.com

 

[mayamay]

Thanks, that pretty much confirms what I thought, but I wanted to make sure. According to the licensing agreement on the Adobe.com page, you can install Pagemaker on your home computer too, but you can't use it at the same time as the one on your work computer.
I know at my old job we had the same Pagemaker disk installed on two computers in the same room and one girl was working on a project and left hers running while I came in and started on another project and we actually did get a warning from the Adobe Administrators through our main server - big brother is watching... we lived in fear of being tossed in jail for licensing agreement violation, but apologzed, swore we'd never do it again and everything worked out all right.
I still have this fear that they have my name in a little black book and are just waiting for me to make the same mistake again!!!!
If I have any problems registering a new 7.0 update, I will keep you informed. Like I said, considering the other Pagemaker user simply opens documents sent via e-mail and only uses Pagemaker about 40 minutes out of the week, I really hesitate to invest in a second full version of it and will suggest that next time they order new software, they order multiple licensing and download it on the server so this won't happen again.

 

[jimoblak]

Regarding a copy at home and work...

This is one of the nice things about Adobe software licensing. The license defines the user that can use the software at home as the 'primary user' so everybody in the office cannot take the software home. You may need to discuss this with your employer as some employers may have additional restrictions and alternate definitions for a 'primary user'.

One should be weary of licensing checks. Big brother is out there for sure. I recall a lab technician at college that recklessly installed the same copy of Photoshop on several computers. The school was licensed for several but the lab technician left the other licenses in the packaging so not to make a mess. Since all of the installations used the same serial number, only one seat of Photoshop would work at a time on the network.

If Adobe is not doing it already, it seems to make sense that a piece of software could send it's license info to an Adobe server to check to see if any other computers are using that license at the same time.

Whether paranoia or morals motivate you, it is a good idea to keep everything legal.