License Keys and Minor Releases

Licenses with and without Support

PDFlib GmbH licenses can be purchased with or without one year of support. At the first and subsequent expiration dates the support agreement can be renewed for another year. As a general rule it is not possible to enter into a new support agreement if the license has been purchased without support. In other words, if you purchased a license without support you cannot enter into a fresh support agreement if you need technical assistance or in order to get access to a new maintenance or major release.

License Keys enable specific Maintenance Releases

The key for a license which is purchased with support enables all maintenance releases until the end of the support term. When the support is renewed after the initial term, customers receive a refreshed license key which again enables all maintenance releases until the end of the new support term.

The key for a license which is purchased without support enables the latest maintenance release at the time of purchase. The exact version number is stated in the invoice. License keys for the PDFlib product family also enable all older maintenance releases with the same major version number. The license key does not enable any later maintenance releases, i.e. software which is released after the date of purchase.

Examples:

  • A customer obtains a license without support in June 2022. The corresponding license key enables the latest maintenance release which is available in June 2022, but not any maintenance releases which are published in July 2022 or later.
  • A customer obtains a license with support in June 2022. The corresponding license key enables all maintenance releases which are published until June 2023. If the customer renews the support agreement for another year at the end of the initial term (i.e. in June 2023), they receive a refreshed license key which enables all maintenance releases published until June 2024.
  • A customer obtains a license without support in June 2022. However, internal development and use of the licensed product starts only in September 2022. The customer must use the maintenance release which was current in June 2022, but cannot use any maintenance releases which are published after June 2022.

Refreshed License Keys

When a support term approaches its end, it can optionally be renewed. Renewal is confirmed on the corresponding invoice which also contains a refreshed license key for the license on which the support term is based.

Alternatively, customers without support can refresh their license key by obtaining a minor update.

It is crucial to apply the refreshed license key received with a support renewal invoice in order to switch to a newer maintenance release. While the previous license key is still valid for older maintenance releases, newer maintenance releases published after the support renewal date cannot be used with the old license key.

License Keys never expire

License keys for PDFlib GmbH products never expire. All remunerated licenses are perpetual, i.e. a particular software product will never stop to operate because the license key may be »too old«. However, at a particular date the license key no longer enables any newer maintenance releases.

Recommendations for Integrators

Software developers who integrate PDFlib GmbH products into their own software and redistribute it to customers should carefully consider the implications of having active support (or not). Integrators who purchase licenses on demand for use in their software have the following options:

  • All licenses are purchased with support: in this case the latest maintenance release of the licensed PDFlib GmbH product can be shipped with new products or updated versions of the customer’s software. This is the recommended approach.
  • All licenses are purchased without support: only the purchased maintenance release can be integrated and shipped, but not any newer maintenance releases. Since it is impossible to take advantage of improvements and bug fixes in the licensed product this approach is not recommended.
  • If some licenses are purchased with support, but others without support, all installations can be run with the oldest licensed maintenance release. Alternatively, some installations may run with the older maintenance release and others with a newer release. This is only recommended in situations where it is acceptable to have different maintenance releases in different installations of the software.

To facilitate usage of a refreshed license key, integrators should support methods for providing PDFlib GmbH license keys by external means (e.g. license file or Windows registry) instead of hard-coding the license key into the application.