Microsoft reverses stance on transferable Office 2013 licences

SOFTWARE LICENSING OUTFIT Microsoft has reversed itself and will allow Microsoft Office 2013 licences to be transferred between computers.

The Microsoft Office 2013 productivity software suite brought with it new features and an amendment to its licensing terms that said Microsoft Office 2013 licences could not be transferred to different computers, raising the ire of users. Now the firm has reversed its stance and will allow users to transfer Microsoft Office 2013 licenses to different machines once every 90 days.

Microsoft had previously said that Microsoft Office 2013 would be tied to a specific computer, meaning that if the computer was sold at a later date the original owner could not transfer the Microsoft Office 2013 licence to a different machine. Now the firm has said that users can transfer licences to different hardware once every 90 days, though that time can be shorter in the case of hardware failures.

Microsoft Office team member Jevon Fark pointed out the amended licensing terms, writing, "Can I transfer the software to another computer or user? You may transfer the software to another computer that belongs to you, but not more than one time every 90 days (except due to hardware failure, in which case you may transfer sooner).

"If you transfer the software to another computer, that other computer becomes the 'licensed computer'."

Fark said that the Microsoft Office 2013 licensing terms now mirror those of Microsoft Office 2010, which allows customers to transfer the software to different computers.

According to Microsoft the changes in its licensing agreement come into effect immediately and apply to Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013, Microsoft Office Home and Business 2013, Microsoft Office Professional 2013 and the standalone Microsoft Office 2013 software application products. µ