Home vs. multi-user: genuine licensing limits and risks

This article was first published on the LIZHI.SHOP blog (lizhi.io, now offline) on August 15, 2016, and is republished here with appropriate adjustments.

LIZHI.SHOP has always believed that buying genuine software has nothing to do with "sentimentality" or "a sense of superiority"; it should simply be a pure market transaction. It's just that, due to the lack of clear regulation, things in China can sometimes get messy.

In fact, many overseas developers are still willing to adjust their approach for Chinese users, which is what has enabled LIZHI.SHOP to secure localized licensing options for Chinese users.

Even if it doesn't always work out, we always try our best to secure more suitable genuine software options for users. However, no matter what pricing model software uses, people always hope to find a licensing option that is more worry-free and better suited to them.

Want to use genuine software? Want to share the licensing cost with others? The "Family License" seems to be the best choice.

Take Alfred as an example: with a "Single-user" license and a "Family License" that can be shared by up to 5 people, on the surface, the latter is naturally more appealing.

But "Family License" ≠ "multi-user license."

A "multi-user license" is divided into the "Family License," which is limited to family members, and the "Volume License," which does not restrict user identity; however, the vast majority of "Family Licenses" do not allow sharing by non-family members.

In contrast, ABBYY FineReader Pro for Mac below is a "Volume License," with no restrictions on multi-user identity; anyone can confidently buy as a group.

If you ask what "technical" or "usage" difference there is between the two, the answer is "none." It can't even require users to show a student ID like Apple Store's education discount does.

But it is a sales rule set by the developer, and a usage agreement all users should follow. Users who follow the agreement are the true genuine users.

But the reality is... well, the developer can't come knocking on your door, so what's the risk of not following it?

• Members sharing it don't know each other and have no way to restrain one another, and cannot control the number of activations of the license key or shared account. If any one of them abuses the license, the license key or account may be disabled by the developer;

• A Family License is generally bound only to the organizer's personal information (name, verified email, etc.), and other users cannot enjoy the developer's after-sales service, because from the developer's perspective, this license does not belong to you;

• Cooperation between the organizer and users is purely trust in the virtual world. With some subscription-based Family Licenses, the organizer might one day simply remove your license and disappear;

• You clearly paid, but your name isn't displayed—that's just intolerable!

Compared with the consumption habits of many users in China, if you have already started buying software through legitimate channels, that is already a big step forward and very much worth acknowledging.

Since you've taken the first step, you might as well learn a little more about how developers think. As I said, the world of genuine software isn't that complicated: respect developers, respect yourself, and respect the value you create by using software.

Don't forget to visit our Genuine Software Store often to find software options with clear origins and transparent licensing rules.