Microsoft Office licenses are often offered on the internet for a bargain price. For example, you can buy Office 2019 for €19 or Windows 10 for €9. Are these cheap Office licenses legal and what are the consequences if this is not the case? More on this subject in this blog.
How do you know if a Microsoft license is illegal?
There are many “free” software packages available for download on the internet. You can always assume that this is illegal. After all, a retail software package may only be active on one computer at the same time. When a code is openly on the web, there is no guarantee that this code will only be used once. If software is illegal, you risk a fine of 60,000.-. Usually these licenses can be recognized by the fact that they are so-called MSDN licenses, these licenses are intended for developers. The program then usually works normally, but because it violates the condition, this is not legal. This is strictly monitored and Microsoft may therefore issue a fine.
Cheap Office license
Just like Softtrader, there are also companies that offer software for a very cheap price. This often concerns Microsoft Office and Windows 10 licenses. If the price is far below the Microsoft suggested retail price, this can mean two things:
- They sell pre-owned licenses.
- They sell illegal licenses.
This difference is very difficult for you to distinguish. At Softtrader we always check the licenses we purchase ourselves. If we make a mistake in this, we are insured in case there is an audit. Fortunately, this has never happened since our start in 2013. With us you have a 100% guarantee on legal Pre-Owned software on all our products such as Microsoft Office and Windows Server.
Rules regarding Pre-Owned software:
To sell Pre-Owned software, one has to follow several rules to prevent software makers from being exploited. These rules were established by the European Court in its 2012 judgment:
- The license must be for an indefinite period. There are also licenses that are only valid for a few years. These licenses may not be sold.
- When a license is resold, it may no longer be used by the seller. As you can understand, it is still forbidden to run multiple devices on a license.
- Licenses may only be resold if an economic price was originally paid for them.
Only European licenses may be resold.
If the above requirements are met, you can simply buy second-hand Office 2019.
Learn more about the differences between Office 2021 and Office 2019.
What does the European court say?
The European Court has made this ruling because they are convinced that the buyer has been paid for a license for life. It has been marketed in a legal manner and there is no time limit attached to it. After all, it is also strange that when you buy a license for life and after a while no longer use it, you can no longer use this license.
Do you have questions? Contact us!
For more information about which Microsoft software and licenses are best for you, please contact us. We are available from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
