Microsoft Licenses by Distribution - Retail (1/3)

We can generally call it the "boxed version". By purchasing, you basically get a package that is precisely given its content. The package should always include a license agreement (so-called EULA - End User License Agreement, it can also be electronic), a registration card, a link to download the software and sometimes a printed manual.

One of the integral parts of the delivery is the COA (Certificate of Authenticity) or certificate of authenticity. A COA can take several forms, such as a label, card, sticker, sheet of paper. However, it must always carry the correct content, for identification and possible control. The COA itself does not grant the right to use the software! It only proves that the software used is genuine.

Last but not least, the user should insist on issuing a proof of payment, either in the form of an invoice or receipt, eg from a stone shop. This acquisition title is important for proving the legal acquisition of the license as the above-mentioned documents.

As the name of the distribution implies, the installation media is purchased here directly in the form of a DVD or USB carrier, which is part of the delivery. You will also notice the difference immediately after installing the software, as you are installing a fixed version of the software without later updates, while if the software is downloaded via a link, you are installing the current version. Therefore, when installing from physical media, it is necessary to take into account that after the installation, updates will be run, which may prolong the installation time or make it difficult to work with the software during the first hours to days after installation.

In others, the delivery coincides with an FPP license without media.

In this case, it is a fully electronic distribution without the need to purchase a physical carrier or box. In short, we can take no physical media or boxes out of the store, as was the case with the previous two options. When obtaining a new license in the form of an ESD, it is necessary to take into account whether it is a delivery from a distributor who is authorized by the software manufacturer to sell these products. A complete list of partners can be found on the Microsoft website. Detailed instructions for installing and activating the product should always be included, including how to verify that it is a genuine license. The last, no less important part should again be proof of payment for the product, including all the details of the seller and the buyer.

The moment you own all the documents and become a license holder, another option opens up here, how to subsequently handle the license, for example, if you no longer use it. Transfer to another owner is possible under the conditions. The original owner should provide the new acquirer with all the original documents obtained when purchasing the license, incl. proof of payment. In addition, a conversion document must be attached, which must clearly state that the original owner has properly uninstalled the software and no longer uses it. Here, too, it is important that the future owner obtains proof of payment or free acquisition.

Yes, you will certainly come across them on the Internet, resp. tenders that will look like this (especially in the ECJ variant). It is possible to sell secondary licenses from these channels. However, the provability of the origin of the license, its purchase, payment and guarantee of its uninstallation is almost untraceable for most contracts and basically impossible to mediate resale. Especially for companies, such a purchase would be very risky in terms of possible control. In the vast majority of these online offers, the customer will not receive from the seller either documentation proving the legality of the transfer of the license or documentation of its origin. The maximum in these cases is the product key, which is not a license in itself, and the invoice.