has the ArchiCAD transfer fee increased?

[Chazz]

It seems to me that the USA transfer fee that GS charged to upgrade a copy of AC when purchased secondhand used to be about $200. This post http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=19740 makes me think it has increase rather dramatically. If true, this represents a significant erosion of the equity one has in the software. Anyone have any experience with this?

[Karl Ottenstein]

Lennox wrote:
why should it cost anything at all.

From an Admin point of view it only takes a couple of seconds to add a name to a database.

That's always been my opinion, which doesn't count for much... 😉

Karl

[Dwight]

Karl wrote:

Lennox wrote:
why should it cost anything at all.

From an Admin point of view it only takes a couple of seconds to add a name to a database.

That's always been my opinion, which doesn't count for much... 😉

Karl

And then there's the equity-evaporating view that a software license could be an exclusive relationship that CAN'T be transferred.

[Rakela Raul]

this is another great thing about this software, you can re-sell it.

[Thomas Holm]

Rakela wrote:
this is another great thing about this software, you can re-sell it.

YES! Try that with Autodesk's offerings! Now there are some that have reason to sword their resellers!

[Rex Maximilian]

Karl wrote:
I have a license for 11 for sale at the moment...
http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=19631

and was told by my reseller that the fee is $475/seat. I'm pretty sure I paid $395 to transfer a license 7 years ago, so the increase isn't significant.

Karl

It's been $475 for as long as I can remember. Your reseller was nice to you Karl!

[Rex Maximilian]

Lennox wrote:
why should it cost anything at all.

From an Admin point of view it only takes a couple of seconds to add a name to a database.

I think it is a way to encourge customers to buy new from GS rather than put to use unused second hand dongles. Come on GS - you should encourage recycling

Lennox, it is a business. It is a software that requires extensive R&D and dedication to develop it. Encouraging you to recycle it would put them out of business. But, you should look at it this way... Some software (other CAD sw) does NOT allow you to even transfer licenses at all.

[Thomas Holm]

Rex wrote:
... Some software (other CAD sw) does NOT allow you to even transfer licenses at all.

Spell it out, Rex:

Autodesk (Autocad, ADT, Revit) doesn't allow you to transfer the license. They also have compulsory subscription policies (not for all programs though - for those without compulsory subscription, like Autocad Lite, they instead have limited upgrade periods - if you don't upgrade within a certain time limit, your license is orphaned, meaning you have to pay full price once more if you want to upgrade later.

Bentley/Microstation policies are similar or worse.

If you think Graphisoft policies are draconian, the above is what the competition offers. I'd rather have GS any day.

[Chazz]

Rex wrote:
Lennox, it is a business. It is a software that requires extensive R&D and dedication to develop it.

The same could be said of all software (in fact, it can be said of all products involving intellectual property). Still, I didn't have to write Toyota a check when I bought a used Camry for my wife. In fact, lots and lots of software can be resold without any notification at all (let alone transfer of money) to the original publisher. So it is really only in the light of Autodesk's repugnant behavior that Graphisoft's less bad tactics look palatable. Compared with the software industry as a whole, $475 just to transfuer software is an abomination.

However, my thought is that this is in place more as a protection for the resellers, and as long as they continue to add value to the end uesrs, it's acceptable.

[Eduardo Rolon]

Actually I've been told that there are two options to resell an Autodesk license, either;

1 the office closes
2 the owner dies

[Thomas Holm]

ejrolon wrote:
2 the owner dies

So if I kill myself, I can sell the Autocad license?