Technet Plus changed and Reduced number of Keys to 5

[BCXtreme]

I think the best way to eliminate any wrongdoing is to reduce/eliminate the need for it. You don't reduce piracy by raising prices and tightening DRM. You reduce piracy by lowering prices and reducing DRM. While there are some people out there who will always do the wrong thing, there are also a lot of people who will do the right thing if they don't have to suffer for it. Increased DRM causes increased piracy (case and point in Spore), because you're making life harder for people. You ask for $50 for a game, and then reward those that pay for it by making them jump through hoops, while the pirates get a free ride. You're providing a disincentive for people to do the right thing.

And I agree with 24c, Microsoft handled it this way so that there would not be a run on unclaimed keys. But still, I think someone needs to go class action on this. It would have been a lot better if they had grandfathered in all their current subscribers, giving them the number of keys/activations they were originally promised, and only applied the new terms to new subscribers. As it stands now, I charge Microsoft with taking payment and then failing/refusing to deliver the promised service.

 

[hpark21]

MAYBE, the reason they didn't notify anyone was to prevent a run on the keys that had not been claimed. Many have mentioned they did get all the keys they were entitled to. Less keys obtained, less keys MS has to worry about. Just a possible explanation. Kind of like the Police Department not announcing they'll be at xxx St. on Monday looking for drug dealers, yyy St. on Tuesday, and on Friday they'll be watching the house on the corner of ddd St. and ggg St. for illegal consumption of Famous Amos chocolate cookies.

However, police department does not have binding contract with those criminals.

Please, raid people who are selling the code on ebay without notification.

Please invalidate those keys who were sold on ebay (as matter of fact, lock out the account which those keys came from).

These can be done without any warnings. No issues.

However, they have changed terms of agreement and pulled the rungs from under us.

It is like someone signed contract to let you use their Ferrari 10 days per year. You paid let's say $1000 for it. Not bad, you said to your self, $100/day.. All of sudden, after you rode it for 5 days in June, and you take a vacation and went to rent the car and the company tells you "Sorry, we changed our terms and now you are allowed only 5 days, OOps, I see you already used all your days for this year, sorry"

Now, it turned into $200/day rental instead. However, guys who took all their days before September 15th, got their days worth. How is this fair?

Maybe they did this to clamp down on people letting their friends drive the Ferrari for $200/day, maybe they were selling their days on Craigslist for $300/day, I do not care, if this happened, it is CLEAR violation of the signed agreement.

THIS is what has happened and I do not know why ANYONE would think this isn't violation of contract.

 

[pparks1]

Ans #1 - I agree if you are a home user, however I am a corp user and sometimes we are testing in many different agencies, buildings and around the world. So being restricted to 5 has already changed our R&D model.

I understand this as a corporate user as well. At my place, we use MSDN subscriptions...but all of the employees who use and need the software all have their own subscriptions. So, it's x # of keys per x number of employees that we have.

Ans #2 - Imaging and then using on different hardware prompts the newly imaged machine to re-activate (Windows 7 and Office 2010). It is smart and knows.

yes, I only meant imaging to the same machine. I was really commenting on the home users...which I think is the norm for the people on this forum that carry Technet. So, rather than load Server 2008R2 and then activate it and then later format and install Windows 7 and activate it and then later format and put Server 2008R2 back on and activate again...if you image that image right after activation then you don't have to worry about running out of activations.

 

[24c]

Someone mentioned this before, maybe it has been addressed, if so, my bad here.

I have a TechNet Pro 'script, got it in June of 2009, renewed it in June of 2010. I got the 10 keys alloted to me. What I can't seem to find, is anything in writing that guarantees me the 10 keys/activations per key. I have nothing in my Technet file here, and don't recall seeing anything on the TechNet site.

Does anyone have a written statement, either in an email, snail mail, or any other form stating we get the 10 key-10 activations per key?

 

[pparks1]

Does anyone have a written statement, either in an email, snail mail, or any other form stating we get the 10 key-10 activations per key?

It was me asking this before. I don't know if I have ever seen it written down. It seems that this question of how many and how much you always get with regards to Technet is asked....so I don't think it's clearly stated anywhere.

 

[24c]

It was me asking this before. I don't know if I have ever seen it written down. It seems that this question of how many and how much you always get with regards to Technet is asked....so I don't think it's clearly stated anywhere.

SO, in keeping with Sgt. Joe Friday's insistence of "just the facts", maybe nobody got depeived of anything here.

Just saying........

 

[kodi]

It was me asking this before. I don't know if I have ever seen it written down. It seems that this question of how many and how much you always get with regards to Technet is asked....so I don't think it's clearly stated anywhere.

SO, in keeping with Sgt. Joe Friday's insistence of "just the facts", maybe nobody got depeived of anything here.

Just saying........

It's a real gray area and I am sure that Microsoft consulted their legal department before they did this, so I suppose all we can do is suck it up and get on with life.

 

[pparks1]

It's a real gray area and I am sure that Microsoft consulted their legal department before they did this, so I suppose all we can do is suck it up and get on with life.

I don't think it's a grey area. Legally I'm sure they can do what they did. They have tons of lawyers and spend tons of times on the legal-ese in the contracts. However, what makes people mad is that they changed the deal during the contract period of time without any notice to the people. Most companies would have allowed the contract to expire and then made people renew under the new terms.

 

[Dave76]

The last few posts seem to be correct, I have not seen any MS site or email, letter, etc, that states you will get x-keys for y-OS/App.

The site does say TechNet allows you to test some/most of MS software, as long as you follow the rules.
What is included and how many keys are evidently left up to MS to decide, which would give them the right to change it.

Changing the number of keys allowed in the 'middle of the night' is understandably upsetting to those of us that have a sub but, MS seems to be willing to refund the sub if requested.
This is, at least, showing some consideration for the TechNet members even though, apparently the legality of the number of keys may be in their favor.

So it seems that MS is going to leave it up to the individual to decide if they want to get a refund or accept the bad news.

This is still a good deal, just not as good as it was.

 

[cluberti]

I don't think it's a grey area. Legally I'm sure they can do what they did. They have tons of lawyers and spend tons of times on the legal-ese in the contracts. However, what makes people mad is that they changed the deal during the contract period of time without any notice to the people. Most companies would have allowed the contract to expire and then made people renew under the new terms.

If your technet subscription agreement specified the number of licenses, and Microsoft changed it, you have legal recourse for material contract breach, and could get out (and likely get a refund) legally. However, if it was never specified what your sub gave you (as in not specified as part of your contract for the subscription), then you'll have to rely on whether or not Microsoft would refund you if requested. From what I understand, they are doing this, so at least that's going for you if you really do feel wronged by the change. I am with some of the other posters here, however - it might stink, but it's likely very legal. If you're doing heavy-duty testing, MSDN is probably a better license deal in the long run anyway, honestly. It's always been a far broader and more flexible subscription, but I suppose that goes with the 10x price increase for it as well.

 

[pparks1]

If you're doing heavy-duty testing, MSDN is probably a better license deal in the long run anyway, honestly. It's always been a far broader and more flexible subscription, but I suppose that goes with the 10x price increase for it as well.

Actually MSDN subscriptions, while allowable for testing, are only allowable for testing applications that you or others are building. It's for showing off your applications and becoming familiar with the Microsoft tools available for you to develop your application.

The following page specifically says that MSDN is NOT allowable for

Use Microsoft software to understand features to make usage, deployment or purchase recommendations or decisions.

Use Microsoft software with 3rd party applications to make usage, deployment or purchase recommendations or decisions on the Microsoft software.

Become familiar and keep up to date with the latest Microsoft software to support internal or external clients using or deploying the software.

MSDN Subscriptions | Compare MSDN and TechNet Plus Subscriptions


So, as you can see, MSDN is not the catch-all application that many people think it is.

 

[mickey megabyte]

... MS seems to be willing to refund the sub if requested.
...

...then you'll have to rely on whether or not Microsoft would refund you if requested. From what I understand, they are doing this, so at least that's going for you if you really do feel wronged by the change...

they only give refunds if your subscription is less than a month old.

it's a pity that m$ have taken down their FAQ page (they've even removed the link to it now), then we won't need to debate all the niceties of the subscription. why won't they publish the FAQs?

 

[myhken]

The FAQ is in place on Technet:

TechNet Subscriptions FAQ

And the number of keys have never been mention on their FAQ, home page, comparison page, comparison sheet or Microsoft Software License Terms so nobody can say that Microsoft ever have advertised for 10 keys per product.

If you read their FAQ, can you then tell me that you not are getting what you paid for:

What is Microsoft® TechNet Subscriptions?
TechNet Subscriptions is a subscription program designed to help IT Professionals prepare for critical issues and plan for future deployments by providing them with fast and convenient access to the latest software for evaluation without time or feature limits1; beta releases; Professional Support Calls; and other technical information and tools to get their jobs done faster. Read the TechNet Overview for a list of the features included with a TechNet Subscription.

 

[WindowsStar]

Next thing you know, they'll be taking Technet away completely and just selling $99 "developer" copies of Windows, where a dev "only" has to pay $99 for each key. And who's going to get burned by it? I'll give you a hint: it won't be the pirates.

"Shhhhh -- You aren't supposed to RELEASE that yet -- this is due for implementation on Jan 1 2011 as we have to sucker all our EXISTING suscribers first".

Actually I think their way of "Anti Piracy" is going the WRONG way -- reducing to just TWO keys for the STANDARD subscription should see some of the more well known places significantly increase their activity.

It's been proved OVER and OVER again -- in fact Ad Nauseam that the more expensive and difficult to obtain you make a product the more the Pirates work at it -- Music industry a great case in point until some people saw sense at selling tracks at 50 - 99 cents a track.

I really wonder who works at these giant corporations -- even your local friendly Gorilla in the Zoo could work this one will just cause a MASSIVE increase in Piracy -- and with W7 really stable these days you could use it for YEARS without needing updates -- so no detection of "This softwre is Not genuine" type problems.

Incidentally one of the MOST Pirated pieces of Software is PHOTOSHOP due mainly to its HUGE price.

I paid for mine via legal upgrade but when a brand new copy can cost more than your ENTIRE PC
you can see how a whole industry gets spawned.

There has to be a SENSIBLE compromise between REWARD for intellectual property (W7, Photoshop or whatever) and the price charged to customers.

However we are veering away from the central issue of MS sneaking in a change without informing their customers.

This WILL spawn Piracy big time -- just wait and see.



Cheers
jimbo

+1 as history has shown you are most likely right!

 

[myhken]

MS has now update on of the two Technet FAQ with this info:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/securedownloads/dd464803.aspx

Anti-Piracy Policy Changes
Q. NEW Question: Why weren’t TechNet subscribers notified in advance?
A. Unfortunately, Microsoft was not able to communicate this policy change in advance because it would increase the programs exposure to piracy if it became widely known that key availability would become limited. Having said this, as soon as the change was made we updated the TechNet Subscription user portal messaging, FAQ, and notified the Call Centers to ensure customer issues and concerns would be addressed appropriately. We regret this may have caused any inconvenience or confusion to legitimate subscribers.
Q. What is the anti-piracy policy change?
A. Microsoft is committed to helping prevent software piracy, which often results in end users being the victims of software counterfeiters. Counterfeiters abuse product keys to create fake software packages and distribute these to the public. These packages are not licensed, do not have support, and can also include malware and spyware. Therefore, Microsoft has decided to limit the number of product keys available through TechNet Subscriptions, for all products, to five for TechNet Professional and two for TechNet Standard. TechNet Subscriptions is intended to support software trial and evaluation, versus a production environment. We offer other programs for volume purchasing and installation. We believe this change maintains a sufficient number of product keys for the majority of our customers based on usage data, while greatly reducing the overall risk of piracy and counterfeiting. We apologize for any inconvenience or confusion that this action may have caused our subscribers.
Q. How many keys do I get with the products I download or receive on disk as part of my TechNet Subscription?
A. If you purchased a TechNet subscription through a Volume License agreement you get Volume Licensing keys for the products that need them. For purchase directly from Microsoft or through a reseller the following applies:

• TechNet Professional (RETAIL): Current policy is that subscribers may access a maximum allocation of five keys from the download portal for use during the Subscription year to be used during the software evaluation process.
• TechNet Standard (RETAIL):Current policy is that subscribers may access a maximum allocation of two keys from the download portal for use during the Subscription year to be used during the software evaluation process.

Q. I used to be able to receive additional keys with my TechNet Subscription, how come I no longer can?
A. Microsoft regularly reviews its product offerings relative to customer usage and other market conditions. As a result we have decided to make this change to the TechNet Subscriptions program. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Q. I don't have enough keys and/or activations to evaluate the software on all of my machines. What do I do?
A. In additional to purchasing another TechNet Subscription, there are trial versions of Microsoft software available from the TechNet Software Evaluation Center located at Technet Evaluation Center

 

[hackerman1]

MS has now update on of the two Technet FAQ with this info:

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/securedownloads/dd464803.aspx

Microsoft has decided to limit the number of product keys available through TechNet Subscriptions, for all products, to five for TechNet Professional and two for TechNet Standard.

2 / 5 keys for ALL products !?

 

[myhken]

2 / 5 keys for ALL products !?

The change is only for Desktop products, at least for now. The only programs thats has got their keys count cut is:
Access 2007/2010
Office 2007
Office 2010
Windows 7
Windows XP

 

[BCXtreme]

I was actually thinking of getting Technet in 2011. Not anymore. This is ridiculous, and they're horribly mistaken if they think it's going to stop or even slow down the pirates.

"The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers." -- Princess Leia

 

[24c]

TechNet Professional (RETAIL): Current policy is that subscribers may access a maximum allocation of five keys from the download portal for use during the Subscription year to be used during the software evaluation process.

Does this sound like the keys expire with the Subscription?

 

[pparks1]

I was actually thinking of getting Technet in 2011. Not anymore. This is ridiculous, and they're horribly mistaken if they think it's going to stop or even slow down the pirates.

How can you complain about the price? You get 2 keys and 10 activations each for Windows7 and for Vista, and for XP and for Office and the list goes on and on. And it's only $199. Technet costs less than 1 retail copy of Windows 7.

As far as slowing people down...sure it will have some impact. People were selling their keys. Now they are not. THat will reduce some of the users who obviously weren't crafty enough to get it via any other method.