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Microsoft caves to Office 2013 licensing = backlash
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Microsoft has heard the uproar from customers over the draconian=20 Office 2013 licensing limitations, and it has relented. Today, = Microsoft=20 announced an update to Office 2013 retail licensing agreement that = should quell=20 the uprising and force customers to put away the torches and pitchforks. =
Effective immediately, customers who purchase (or have already = purchased) the=20 Office Home and Student 2013, Office Home and Business 2013, Office = Professional=20 2013 suites, or any of the standalone Office 2013 applications can move = the=20 software to another computer once every 90 days.
A couple weeks ago, Microsoft explained the Office 2013 licensing to = specify=20 that it is non-transferrable. In a nutshell, if you bought Office 2013 = and=20 installed it on a PC, and then that PC was stolen next week, Microsoft = would=20 expect you to buy a brand new copy of Office 2013 to install on your new = replacement PC.
When I asked for further clarification, a Microsoft spokesperson told = me,=20 =E2=80=9COffice 2013 has the same licensing provisions around = transferability as the=20 equivalent Office 2010 package, which was the package purchased by most = Office=20 2010 customers.=E2=80=9D
Apparently, that did not sit well with Microsoft customers. A post=20 on the Office News blog today announces that Microsoft has listened = to the=20 customer feedback, and is immediately changing the Office 2013 licensing = policy=20 to match the language of the Office 2010 retail licensing.
Now the Office 2013 licensing works like you=E2=80=99d expect it = should. Purchasing=20 the license grants you the right to install the software on a single PC. = If that=20 PC breaks, or gets lost or stolen, or you upgrade and replace it with a = new one,=20 you can install Office 2013 on the new PC. You can also sell or transfer = the=20 license to another user. The primary requirement under this license is = that the=20 Office 2013 software can only exist in one place, and be installed on = one=20 computer at any given time.
While this is a much more reasonable licensing policy for Office = 2013, and it=20 will satisfy many Microsoft customers, the reality is that most = businesses and=20 consumers should=20 be choosing Office 365 instead of Office 2013 anyway. An Office 365=20 subscription includes licensing for the full Office 2013 Pro suite on up = to five=20 devices at a cost that works=20 out to be cheaper than buying the single Office 2013 license in many = cases.=20
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