MSDN subscription licence and Enterprise Agreements

3
votes

MSDN subscriptions give a developer access to Visual Studio 2010 and the latest Microsoft platforms for development and testing access.

The Microsft MSDN subscription whitepaper says that MSDN licenses obtained thru an "Enterprise Agreement" (where a company buys volume named licenses on behalf of many employees) cannot be used after license expiry (i.e. they do not have Perpetual Use Rights).

I would like to know if this is a technical limitation - i.e. the product will not work after the license expires. Or whether Microsoft is relying on the licence owner to simply stop the using the product the day it expires.

(P.S. A moderator closed off this issue when I raised it yesterday saying it had nothing to do with programming. Any one who has ever used an MSDN subscription knows that it has a lot to do with programming. Looking the FAQ page, my question satisfies "software tools commonly used by programmers". My question is relevant to all Microsoft developers.)

2
msdnsubscription
Your earlier question was closed by Jeff Atwood as off topic? What else can I say? Technically there is no limitation...product will not stop working...rest all on you... – Pradeep

2 Answers

1
votes

The Microsft MSDN subscription whitepaper (Version: August 2011) says:

Generally, MSDN subscriptions that do not provide perpetual use rights include: MSDN subscriptions purchased through Enterprise Agreement Subscription, Open Value Subscription, Campus Agreement, or other “subscription” Volume Licensing programs

The Volume Licensing programs Open Subscription and Open are different.

Volume Licensing Subscriptions are like "renting" the right to use the software.

1
votes

"The Microsft MSDN subscription whitepaper says that MSDN licenses obtained thru an "Enterprise Agreement" (where a company buys volume named licenses on behalf of many employees) cannot be used after license expiry (i.e. they do not have Perpetual Use Rights). "

True for Enterprise subscription (it's like a lease - none of the licenses under that program are perpetual unless you do a buyout at the end of the term). Not true for the regular Enterprise Agreement. Those licenses are perpetual. You'd lose rights to get further updates or media, but you'd still be able to use what you had during the term of the agreement.