I wish Graphisoft didn't surcharge resale buyers over $2000.

[vfrontiers]

So I have two keys and as it turns out, the economy stinks and I need to sell one of my "assets" to make ends meet. I figure that with the investment made in ArchiCAD over the past 10+ years (and 10 before that with other companies money) that there would be some equity in it.

So following proper procedure, I contact my reseller to find out how to go about selling (I've done it before, so I knew there were some hoops to jump thru). It is here I find out that after I sell my ArchiCAD Key to a 3rd party, THEY will HAVE TO PAY over $2000.00 to register the key in their name!

Ok... so I flipped my lid... and shot back an angry email... but the only response I got... "Well, try reselling AutoCAD" ...

Yes, I am still miffed. I just wonder how many people out there actually know about this policy. The policy has changed over the past 20 years. I am curious about when and how I actually AGREED to this policy. But, like everyone else here, I gloss of the EULA's. Apparently this policy changed around April this year. I am not clear how a company can sell me a product (asset) and then continue, after the fact, to create policy that removes all equity from it.

And the real questions is WHY? "How could it possibly cost $2000.00 to change a name and address in a database? To be fair (someone has to) $600 of it is a FORCED enrollment in the ArchiPLUS program. So at least the buyer will get the next upgrade (if it happens within a year).

Sorry for venting. I love ArchiCAD. I like the people that work there. I like my reseller. I just think this policy is WRONG. So on my tombstone will hang 2 ArchiCAD 12 keys (can't afford to upgrade any longer with this policy in place).

[Anonymous]

laszlonagy wrote:
I don't know such English word: regelemantation.
But the language of the Forum is English.

Try it with creativity - cadic means "regimentation".
...or I´m wrong?

[Anonymous]

molaloma wrote:

laszlonagy wrote:
I don't know such English word: regelemantation.
But the language of the Forum is English.

Try it with creativity - cadic means "regimentation".
...or I´m wrong?

thanks this is the right spelling.

german knows the problems

cadiac

[Anonymous]

I´m not from germany. 😉

[Dwight]

And a similar English word is "reglementation."

Means "regulation." Seems more French than German.

From the dictionary of Difficult Words.

[archislave]

Now it really seems suspect to actually buy it to get started. Why not just charge a fair subscription fee per year with no additional startup cost. It would get more people into Archicad if they could start for $500 first year and maybe $795 each additional year. The first year is the biggest financial hit a firm makes in transitioning the staff by lost productivity. After a year they will feel better paying a little more for the subscription.

GS stop pretending you are selling the software and charging so much for it. You really need more long term users paying each year. If you dilly dally Revit will get all the market.

[SeaGeoff]

Maybe Resellers need to be renamed Leasing Agents.

I heard about a local firm "selling" two AC12 licenses. I hope they know about this new policy. If AC13 is released before they make a sale they stand to lose big.

[Erika Epstein]

You can buy pay per use keys. They come in several different time lengths.

Some come with a promo deal where the cost of the pay per use key was in part or full taken off the purchase of a full license of AC within some specified time frame.

Don't quote me on specifics, as I clearly don't recall them.

[Anonymous]

Karl wrote:
Again, kudos to the Belgium and Portugal resellers (and no doubt others) for using their brains and not what they sit on.

I've got an official announcement today that the Flanders AC user base (Dutch speaking region in my country) will no longer have its usual distribution channel. Our AC distribution will be covered from the Netherlands starting from september 2009.
Marketing strategy is moving cross-border so I may expect that the surcharge thing you're globally dealing with will be reality here soon.
Nevertheless I'm happy to see our AC support finally will be based on language instead of country

[Anonymous]

Well, the whole story stinks! (Feels like Autodesk business model)
Graphisoft was, is and will be underdog - so using this methods will hurt them in long (and not so long) run, could someone tell them this, please.
Two Points:
1. Oposit reaction to adverse market condition: Maxon (another Nemetchek company) runs 50% off sale because of slowdown and offeres me 60% off upgrade from C4D 9.5 to 11 (BIG improvement in rendering speed on 8 core MAC; from 1 min. 9 sec. to 6 sec. for test rendering) - so I did this, but I will not upgrade ArchiCadd (unless it’s a REALLY good version) until this is settled.
The hard times are showing you who is the best to relay on in your business.
2. Courts will slowly nullify the “licensing” model - the signs are showing up in Autodesk case: It is an act of sale of the business tool, pure and simple, we owe them not to copy or remove the copy protection (key) and that’s it. Everything else will not stand the legal test in long run. Just imagine how the world would looked like, if 8000-9000 years ago people who first domesticated cattle would “license” the cows and bulls “for limited use only” and “retain ownership” rather than start selling them (and if this model would survived the test of time). Look at all functionality: cattle can be copied/bred, can do work (plowing/transport), can generate goods (meat/milk) can be "upgraded" and at that time animal husbandry was probably as new, arcane and know-how intensive as software writing today, all other models referred here are off - and by a substantial margin. We would have a class of license owners decedents living for generation off original leases, or their fractions and the rest of us would have meat on the table twice a year (unless we catch a dog, cat or more likely rat. Reasonable transfer fee ($100 to $200 - not even $500) - and that’s all, but nothing close to this !!!

[Aaron Bourgoin]

Erika wrote:
You can buy pay per use keys. They come in several different time lengths.

Some come with a promo deal where the cost of the pay per use key was in part or full taken off the purchase of a full license of AC within some specified time frame.

Don't quote me on specifics, as I clearly don't recall them.

In North America, the cost of up to 3 x 300hr keys will be applied to the cost of a new, full-time key purchased within one calendar year.