Re: OEM Licenses
right, now, this has made interesting reading, and there is a lot of mis-information in this thread.
I actually work for the No.1 Open License MS reseller (7 years in a row) and one of 17 (i think) Large account resellers in the UK allowing us to sell from MS direct without buying from a distributor.
I have been in licensing for 5 years now and am a Microsoft Licensing Sales Expert requiring me to take around 15 exams each year to get accredited, so I think I am actually quite qualified in this area.
We also do SAM (software asset management) on behalve of MS to educate customers and solve their licensing issues.
ozzy, you can't just install what you want without paying for it first or annually in retrospect, there are lots of agreements and depending on which you are on will depend whether you forecast upfront and declare on the anniversary or purchase upfront and then add desktops through the year and pay the extras each year etc.
There are lots of licensing schemes and it takes a LOT of training to understand them all, but its what we do so we get all the necessary training.
As for OEM, thats a very cloudy subject, different people interpret the rules in different ways, there is also come conflicting info out there. Technically, what spoonie is saying is the most accurate account so far.
When selling a PC, as a systems builder you can provide a preinstalled version of an OEM piece of software, as part of the agreement you agree to support the end user on behalf of MS.
I think McBunny said they buy in packs of three, this is so that system builders can buy them in bulk, some companies (distributors) used to split the packs meaning they were selling single packs, in the end I think MS created a single pack.
An OEM piece of software is non transferrable to another pc, it dies with it, you are also not licenses without the sticker on the machine with the license number on it, no sticker, no license.
You can buy Bios locked versions of office now with HP machines, this is not OEM but is a special version of the software that will only install on a HP pc and is discounted as such, but is not OEM that i know of.
The main problem is that who is classed as a system builder? If someone is building pc's and selling them on, they can sell it with an OEM piece of software but it needs to be pre-installed and also be supported by that person/company as part of the agreement.
Apparently, MS have now changed the rules for all the new FPP (fully packaged product i.e.retail boxed) and those licenses also cannot be transferred like they used to be, don't think its quite as restrictive as OEM but its got a whole lot worse.
Anyway, just thought I would add to the debate as i seemed to miss the boat on this today, but its interesting to see what peoples views are on licensing, if it was easy and everyone could understand it, we wouldn't make a shed load of money out of consulting people and asset managing them, its very complicated and as such, there is a lot of mis-information about.
The reality though is, as was mentioned above, that this is small fish to MS, they couldn't be bothered with bill buying an oem license and installing it, hell, at least he is paying for a license, i doubt many people on here have bought a full retail copy of office!!!!!!! They are after the companies that owe a lot of money, just like peer to peer, they go after the uploaders, not the downloaders as a rule, too many of them and not worth as much to them.
