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[evan]

That is a good question. I don't know is the honest answer. The guy in question isn't a friend of mine, it is a colleague of a friend. As far as I can recall the details it was to do with his small office (I think they had several machines) and the simply got audited. Their details were with the software company (I think it was microsoft) and they had educational licenses instead of business ones. Simple as that.

I think it doesn't have to be the case that they know we're up to no good. I think they are allowed to audit the use of the software according to the license details they have on record.

I wonder if anyone else has better info than me on this?

[Michael]

Perhaps this software story will help.
'True story'

A friend of mine has a small business. While out of the office one day his secretary called the Microsoft support line. The Microsoft Canadian head office is just a few miles away. She was asked for her S/N and company name ... The man on the support side said he would have to get back to her as he would have to think about what she was trying to do (insert a water mark in a catalog sheet - Microsoft Office 2000). He called her back after some 15 minutes stating he would drop by on his way to work the following morning to help, after all it was Microsoft policy that every customer be a happy one.

When my friend returned that evening his secretary grinning from ear to ear was quick to tell him of the wonderful support Microsoft has. "They are coming to help us." she said.

I have a feeling his heart stopped right about then. Luckily he was able to reach Office Depot before it closed and purchase the Pro version of Office.

When he arrived at the office the following morning two men were waiting for him. One wearing a suit and the other jeans. The young man in jeans said her was there to help and identified himself as a Microsoft support person. The other said nothing.

Once the S/N of the new software purchased and installed the night before was authenticated the gentleman in the suit left still not uttering a sound.

This is a true story of a very close friend. He was told that businesses are targeted.

The small print on most software sold today clearly states that you are not the owner. You given permission to use the product through a purchased license.

My two pennies worth, 

Mike

[Mike Barry]

Well thanks very much for the anecdotes guys, but I'll take the risk and in the extremely unlikely event that Adobe, who cant even run a call centre that answers customers in under an hour, actually employs people to knock on individual customer's doors to check how they are using their licensed and paid for software, I will decline to invite him in to show him.

Perhaps their time would be better spent worrying about the fact that all their products are easily available for download in cracked versions all over the world rather than worry about how those who have actually purchased a license are using the software.

[evan]

I quite agree with you on that mike. I just wanted you to be aware that they do have their priorities so screwed up that they really couldn't care less about their real customers, and seem to have a very important division within the company whose sole purpose is t screw every last penny out of good honest citizens who pay their wages.

It seems to much hassle to chase the crackers. So they word through their customer database!

[Michael]

If software companies were a little more understanding towards their current clientel there would be more sympathy for the piracy issues. When customers are tossed aside and informed that a minor fix is a new product and upgrades will not be available, people tend to be a little upset.

Adobe's current example with Ultra is a good one. Ultra CS3 is a new product not an upgrade and therefore you must pay 10 times the cost to acquire other products that you may never use. 

[Vivian Brown]

Ok I admit it's me....     how is Ultra CS3 a new product?

I read the specks....  nothing new about it 'cept vista...  that makes it a new product?   


Granny

[rickblackmon]

In Adobe's eyes, yes.

[Hurlamania]

 The stories you tell are of a different nature and involve MS and invole people calling MS. the other thing is with most software there is no way to tell what it was purchased under by the serial #, MS has some software that is branded as student edition ect... but with say adobe master collection your gonna get the same version as anyone else and adobe cant tell by the serial # if you called them and gave it to them that is was purchased under and educators price. they would see it as a person with a legit copy of master collection usually it is just a student discount not a licence change adobe doesnt have commercial and non comercial licences for master collection you buy it for what you can and you do what you want with it. the software is designed and sold for commercial use. if your a "student" you get a discount lucky you.