For a number of years I've updated to the newest version of BIAB every year and have accumulated a collection of past program discs. I decided to donate them to the local high school band director to give to some of his students to play with. The band director told me he has a BIAB program at school. I thought I'd better check to be sure I haven't violated any user agreements by donating my outdated copies to the band program.

Even though the programs are outdated they should still be usable to use for experimenting with their music ideas. I'd much rather see them in use than cut up and trashed.

I can't answer your question but the practice brings up another question, who is going to provide support when new users have questions about obsolete product? In your case I would assume the band director but what if the band director doesn't have an answer?

My concern would be that if you used those old copies as the basis for subsequent upgrades, then technically I would think they are all tied to your current license.

If you purchased a new copy each time, then I would think that giving away would be fine and the school could even upgrade then.

It is software licensing 101! When you upgrade you CANNOT give away or sell or otherwise transfer any of your old versions of the software to anyone for any purpose! Usually you are allowed to transfer the software to someone else but you must delete all your copies and not use it going forward.

Peter Gannon replied to a similar post a couple of years or so ago and said almost exactly what John and JohnJohnJohn have said above.

As I recall his comments, they were something like...

If copies of the program are obtained as upgrades, then they are tied in with the most recent version you're using and you need to give everything away including the most recent version. (Purchasing an 'update or upgrade' is extending the program that you already have. It is priced accordingly.)

If the copies were purchased as fully independent, standalone copies and not part of an upgrade process, then ownership can be transferred.

Hope this makes sense,
Noel

• previous song: I Can See Tomorrow

Reckon I better just go and retrieve them.

Look before you leap.


Know the law before you start giving away copies of ANY software. Chances are really good that ....

1. You don't own it. You simply licensed it's use and that license is only for YOU.

2. You're not permitted to sell, transfer, or give it away.

The discs have been retrieved and will be destroyed.

For the last few years PGMusic has required that BIAB and RB be "registered" on no more than 3 computers at one time. After that, if you install on another machine, it can run but only for 30 days (at least that's my understanding of the license).

If you've installed (say) BIAB on 3 machines and are running them from those machines (rather than from the PGM HDD), can you let someone else "try before you buy" for 30 days, using your HDD?

That shouldn't be any different in ordering the program from PGM on their 30 day money back guarantee, at least in my mind.

LLOYD S

Yes, but the registering has only been in place since BIAB/RB 2014. Anything prior to that required no registering and would run as long as you wanted. This would therefore seem to apply only for versions 2014 and 2015.

But even then, the PGMusic license really does not provide for a "try before you buy" scenario using someone else's copy of the software (otherwise, I suspect they would have already provided a demo version). Instead, PGMusic provides a money back guarantee should you not like it (after you have already paid for the software). Legally, I don't believe they are the same thing.

But PGMusic would really have to be the ones to clarify this.

I've got quite the collection of older versions.....