Facing a software audit is a daunting process, which takes time, money, and resources to complete. Typically, the first question the target of an audit asks is whether the audit is legitimate, closely followed by why the company has been selected for an audit. What triggers an Autodesk audit? Disgruntled employee: One of the common…
Autodesk sometimes reaches out to its customers to offer additional services, products, or upgrades on existing software. Autodesk’s business team may offer to conduct a license assessment to confirm a customer is properly licensing all of its software as part of the offer to provide additional services. Autodesk may also request that the customer use…
In many software audits, the auditing entity like the Business Software Alliance or the Software & Information Industry Association requires a dated proof of purchase to demonstrate when a license for a software product was acquired. However, in audits initiated by Autodesk, the serial number can play a crucial role in demonstrating ownership. Autodesk products…
The BSA and SIIA are not the only organizations pursuing business for software copyright infringement. Though it is a member of both the BSA and SIIA, Autodesk, which manufactures the popular design software AutoCAD, often pursues audit targets on its own. The audits begin much like those instituted by the BSA or SIIA. The target…
In the universe of software-copyright enforcement programs, Autodesk’s may be the most active and vigorous. All businesses – even those not running Autodesk software – should take steps early and regularly to identify and eliminate any software-compliance gaps associated with Autodesk and other software installations. It is common for businesses owners to be surprised by…
Autodesk routinely sends letters to businesses that it suspects may be using Autodesk software products without adequate licensing, both in order to confirm those suspicions as well as to address any license-compliance discrepancies. Typically under threat of a federal lawsuit for copyright infringement, Autodesk requires targeted businesses to respond to detailed questions about the Autodesk…
Software-license compliance can be a difficult task, and understanding the standard Autodesk Software License Agreement may present challenges. Here are four of the most important terms in that agreement to remember for compliance purposes: 1. License Terms Vary Regarding Installations. a. Multi-seat license. Although Autodesk generally restricts software installations to one installation per license, the…
In May 2013, Adobe announced that CS6 would be the last version of its Creative Suite software product line that would be available under traditional, stand-alone, perpetual licenses. Instead, all releases of Creative Suite products since then have been available exclusively through Adobe’s Creative Cloud solution, with users paying a monthly subscription fee to access…
One venerable software license model that many companies have utilized in the past has been the license upgrade, under which a licensee could acquire the right to deploy the newest version of a product at a much-reduced price, provided that the licensee also owns a full license for a qualifying, earlier version of the same…
A software audit typically resolves in one of three ways: a dismissal, a settlement, or litigation. The most common path to resolution is a settlement between the parties for potential copyright infringement stemming from allegedly unlicensed software. Software publishers sometimes authorize entities such as the Business Software Alliance (“BSA”) or Software & Information Industry Association…
