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Solidworks .....can you purchase used?

We looked into this and it seems that Solidworks will not transfer the licence to another user.

Apparently one way round this is to set up a holding company which then buys and owns the software; the company can then be sold complete with assets including software licences.

Sounds ridiculous; but what happens if you shell out £15,000 for a seat of SW and for some reason after 3 months you don't want it any more or want to sell assets? £15,000 down the toilet............In this situation your huge financial outlay has no asset value whatsoever.

Regards,

Mike.
 
That would sound like Solidworks business style. Customer oriented solutions sure sounds nice in their brochures, but on the service and business side the above is an example of the reality. Pure greed rules over sensible and rational options like actually being able to sell your own paid for product.

(That said, they would run into problem with that policy in many European countries where laws entitles you to sell your own rights and goods. If they wanted to circumvent that they would have to rent out the software for a limited time instead of calling it a sale).
 
They already have way too many ideas, and too many marketeers who are too smart for their own good. I think any such exploit-the-customer tactic will likely work in the short term or for narrow areas, but in the long run I have too much faith in the customers disgust for the same tactics.

The business model of renting out software has been a holy grail for the software industry for quite some time, but somehow programs actually trying that has usually failed it seems. Maybe because people don't want to be continuously ripped off - once is enough. (Once a year with service). I fear however that programs run via the internet at remote computers will pave the way for such a business model in the future. Google Office and its like.
 
I don't think this is unique to SolidWorks. Most software companies do not allow transfers as far as I know. There are exceptions however. I know you can sell your copy of Rhino (not that anyone ever would :-)) and all they ask is that the new owner register the transfer so their records are straight. I think they even have a form available to do so.

Dan
 
Even worse then. A CAD conspiracy to exploit customers all around, with the notable exception of a few too small to be allowed in on it.

Seriously though, just because the others are just as bad doesn't really make Solidworks any better, nor their policies sensible. Kudos to Rhino though!
 
It's worth a call to solidworks headquarters and asking questions. I have a seat of Smartcam i'd like to sell, They gave me permission to sell and transfer it if it was included in a larger sale, like a portion of my company or with a single machine tool, if the buyer paid for 1 year maintenance plus a transfer fee.
 
I have a seat of Smartcam i'd like to sell, They gave me permission to sell and transfer it if it was included in a larger sale, like a portion of my company or with a single machine tool, if the buyer paid for 1 year maintenance plus a transfer fee.
\

No sarcasm directed at YOU Mudflap, but perhaps Soildworks would accept one of my nads as proper appeasement to the CAD/CAM gods.....? To hell with that BS.....I'd sell it without their 'blessing'. Or is it better called flim-flammery?
I might just call SW and ask questions for a laugh if nothing else....
It's supposed to be a legit seat from a defunct company that bought it on the up-and-up. I have the Ser. Number.

I just wonder about having it running on a net-accessible machine...? Supposedly SW 'phone's home' every once-in-awhile just to check in.....?? :crazy:

dk
 
Pick up Alibre new.
Got a copy this past summer on sale for 750.00 us
and with the loonie at par it was a bargin!
eddie :)
 
\It's supposed to be a legit seat from a defunct company that bought it on the up-and-up. I have the Ser. Number.

I just wonder about having it running on a net-accessible machine...? Supposedly SW 'phone's home' every once-in-awhile just to check in.....?? :crazy:

There are people in this world who has a legit license, confirmed by Solidworks, who have tried to change the machine it is running on from one machine to another. Solidworks routines for that didn't work, they don't know why, and they actually couldn't care less. Problem unsolved. Thus some people in this world run a cracked version while having legit license because the cracked version actually works...

On a higher view I'm always amazed at companies setting up these very artificial roadblocks to try and force more money from customers. If it doesn't add value to the customer, indeed quite the opposite, one would think someone had the sense to avoid them. But no, they buy into the exploit-the-customer scheme with insane enthusiasm. I for one hope it backfires badly. (For instance through competition from truly customer oriented companies).
 
Does solid works allow transfer of licenses to different users?

dk

Ok, here is a question.
IF!! You're planning using Solidworks AS-IS, meaning you won't be calling for tech support, asking for updates or upgrades etc etc, THEN, can't you just install it, activate it using the original codes and use it for what it's worth???

I mean if you make a typical pre-owned purchase, you usually won't get the manufacturer warrantee anyway and the OEM won't recognize or transfer all rights to you as they did to the original purchaser.
 
It requires a confirmation code during installation. If the serial number is already taken by an earlier installation, bound to that specific computer, you will only get a 30 days trial instead of a proper installation. (You can change computer though, well, that is you're supposed to be able to if they could be bothered).

Thus if you buy used, and use it on the machine it is on, then you will be ok. But you will not have the upgrade/ service deal without Soildworks registration.
 
Yeah, you could. But someone can’t legally sell something they don’t own. If the agreement with the original purchaser was simply a “right to use” license, and specifically forbade transferring to another party, then what he is selling becomes an illegal copy when he breaks the agreement. What the implications for a small shop are beyond lack of support I don’t know, but I suspect if you trade drawings with larger firms that have several seats of the software, eventually the software publisher will become aware of your existence. What they can do about it beyond embarrass you in front of your customer I don’t know, but that’s bad enough.

Additional thought... Every license agreement I’ve offered (for designs, however, not software) has contained a clause that terminates the agreement if the licensee goes bankrupt, or otherwise ceases to do business. I’m sure the same clause is buried in the software license, so it became an illegal copy as soon as the initial firm went bankrupt.

[FONT=&quot]Dennis[/FONT]
 
It requires a confirmation code during installation. If the serial number is already taken by an earlier installation, bound to that specific computer, you will only get a 30 days trial instead of a proper installation.
Well, if that's the case, then I don't have a boat I need an anchor for.....I wouldn't doubt this at all.
And all I can say is NO WONDER crack versions of all this type of software are SO popular. Almost like the vendors are asking for it...
I've been using Alibre for several years, I would just like to learn SW in spare time as it's so popular with my customers. Being familiar with the software could be handy, even on a resume for example.
 
Ok, here is my take on this.

My SW 2007 is license# activated, without web connection.
I did install it on 2 computers, which is part of the license. Primary + home use.
This version will install without trouble on other computers.
So far I am obeying the license agreement and have no plans to do otherwise.

Having said that, if the new version would be web activated and contacting Solidworks is required to de-activate and re-activate the new (successive) installs, I assure you that I'd be on the market and even pay for a crack which would allow me to bypass the web activation crap.
I know what the license says, and I don't care. It was real money given to a real company in exchange for a real product.
It was my money given to Solidworks Corporation for the purchase of Solidworks 2007 license. In my perspective, from this point on I do what I wish with THIS!!! license. I will not copy it, will not give it out to be copied by others nor will I let others use it. One license, one user. Period.
If however I sell my company, I reserve the right to either:

a: Sell the company as a whole, software license and all.
b: Sell off all individual parts as an independent sale.
c: Sell off individual parts but keep the software license to myself.

Short of this, I want Solidworks to return part of my money in exchange of my future non-useage of the license, and I reserve the right to determine the future value of said license.
 
Amen to that Seymour....

The version I am looking at is 2008 Pro.
I would not have to run it on a PC that has web access.
It's current owner has contacted SW and asked about it's legal standings. The owner told me SW simply said they would not support it if used by other than orig. purchaser. I take that to mean that it would install and run, but not be upgradable and no tech support.

From the prev. posts here, this may not be true. And also not having SW tech support may not be much to not have....

Edit: Add.....the current owner is a firm not an individual. And they have offered a 30 day money back guarantee to allow for time-out issues.

dk
 








 
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