Confusion over OneNote license terms

[bartolome]

I have purchased a full version of OneNote (not the Home and Student version)
and even though I have read the license terms, I do not understand them.

I have four computers I would like to use OneNote on. I am the sole user of
the software on all of these machines, although others use the machines for
other purposes. One is a work machine, two are home machines (one upstairs,
one downstairs) and a laptop. Can I install and use OneNote on all of those
machines without violating the license? What if I open the notebooks from a
USB thumb drive on each machine?

Any clarification from Microsoft or its MVPs would be helpful. Thanks.

 

[Kathy Jacobs]

You have a license for one machine, plus one portable device. If you need to
have OneNote on more than one machine,you will need to purchase multiple
licenses. If you go to About--> OneNote and then click the link for the
license terms, you will find the full text of the license. Scroll down to
Licensed Device information where you will find the following text:
2. INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS. Before you use the software under a
license, you must assign that license to one device. That device is the
“licensed device.†A hardware partition or blade is considered to be a
separate device.
a. Licensed Device. You may install and use one copy of the software on the
licensed device.
b. Portable Device. You may install another copy on a portable device for
use by the single primary user of the licensed device.
c. Separation of Components. The components of the software are licensed as
a single unit. You may not separate the components and install them on
different devices.

If you have other questions, post back...

--
Kathy Jacobs, Microsoft MVP OneNote and PowerPoint
Author of Kathy Jacobs on PowerPoint
Get PowerPoint and OneNote information at www.onppt.com

I believe life is meant to be lived. But:
if we live without making a difference, it makes no difference that we lived

 

[Sven]

This is the same thing that Office product licenses have said for years. One
desktop, one portable device. I wanted to point out that the portable device
always has been, and still is, assumed to be something like a laptop. It is
not referring to a Pocket PC or Smartphone, though there is a copy of
OneNote Mobile supplied for use on one of these 'portable' devices. That is
a different piece of software altogether.

 

[bartolome]

Thanks all.

"portable device" is ambiguous. A thumb drive is a portable device, of
course. I don't doubt that Microsoft "assumes" the portable device is a
laptop, but the definition should be spelled out in the license.

Blog posts from Microsoft employees like this one only add to the confusion:
http://blogs.msdn.com/chris_pratley...-onenote-2007-notes-across-your-many-pcs.aspx.
He refers in the comments to the license being valid for "two machines," not
solely a desktop and a portable.

 

[Patrick Schmid [MVP]]

The definition is not ambiguous at all. Office/OneNote 2007 requires
Windows Server 2003, Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista. The only portable
devices that actually run these operating systems are laptops. It won't
install on a thumb drive either, so you can't interpret it that way as
well.
The license always specifies the device you can install the program to,
not the device you can keep your data on. So for the license, it doesn't
matter whether you keep your data on a thumb drive or not, as you still
have to physically install OneNote on all four computers.

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Outlook 2007 Performance Update: http://pschmid.net/blog/2007/04/13/105
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
RibbonCustomizer Add-In: http://ribboncustomizer.com
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

 

[xyzwriter]

Not being a techno geek, I did not know for sure what "portable device"
referred to. Home users don't necessarily know what you do about operating
systems, phone protocols, or pda software. I did not know from that phrase
that I could install the software on a pc and a laptop computer. Please ask
the lawyers and engineers to remember that most home users need to have the
license agreement written in vernacular english!

The definition is not ambiguous at all. Office/OneNote 2007 requires
Windows Server 2003, Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista. The only portable
devices that actually run these operating systems are laptops. It won't
install on a thumb drive either, so you can't interpret it that way as
well.
The license always specifies the device you can install the program to,
not the device you can keep your data on. So for the license, it doesn't
matter whether you keep your data on a thumb drive or not, as you still
have to physically install OneNote on all four computers.

Patrick Schmid [OneNote MVP]
--------------
http://pschmid.net
***
Outlook 2007 Performance Update: http://pschmid.net/blog/2007/04/13/105
Office 2007 RTM Issues: http://pschmid.net/blog/2006/11/13/80
***
Customize Office 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/customize
RibbonCustomizer Add-In: http://ribboncustomizer.com
OneNote 2007: http://pschmid.net/office2007/onenote
***
Subscribe to my Office 2007 blog: http://pschmid.net/blog/feed

Thanks all.

"portable device" is ambiguous. A thumb drive is a portable device, of
course. I don't doubt that Microsoft "assumes" the portable device is a
laptop, but the definition should be spelled out in the license.

Blog posts from Microsoft employees like this one only add to the confusion:
http://blogs.msdn.com/chris_pratley...-onenote-2007-notes-across-your-many-pcs.aspx.
He refers in the comments to the license being valid for "two machines," not
solely a desktop and a portable.

 

[Patrick Schmid [MVP]]

that I could install the software on a pc and a laptop computer.
Please ask

the lawyers and engineers to remember that most home users need to have the
license agreement written in vernacular english!

I don't think lawyers actually speak vernacular English...

 

[TabletNewbie]

A followup to this old post (shows i'm using the search facility!):

my laptop that originally had onenote 2007 installed on it is dead. (with
the current economy, i'll prolly have to bring it back from dead -- repair
shop). anyways, i can't take it any longer without onenote.

i understand from this thread that i can install on my imac (with win xp
pro) without issue since my only installation was on the currently defunct
laptop.

i have been forewarned by repair that they may have to wipe off my disk.
ugh! worse case would be needing to have drive replaced.

where does this leave me with onenote on a laptop license?

- thanks