I Want My FCP 4 Disk Back!

[Moof1904]

I recently sent my FCP 4 installer disk to Apple for use in their crossgrade program to FC Studio 5 Universal. I couldn't make a backup copy of the installer disk beforehand because I don't have a DL drive.

I didn't think this would be an issue, but now my wife is interested in playing with FCP and I'd like to install version 4 on her machine for her to experiment with.

I could just install version 5 on her machine also, but I'd really prefer to be compliant with the license and not do that. She doesn't need the version 5 features and installing version 4 on her machine would be an ideal solution.

Any ideas on how I can get a FCP 4 installer disk? Do you think that Apple will sell me one for a moderate fee? (I bought 4 directly from Apple, so they know I'm a registered owner.)

 

[SilentPanda]

You traded Apple version 4 for version 5 right? So even if somehow you had the version 4 disk you wouldn't legally be able to install it on another machine since you essentially upgraded would you? If you purchased a full version 5 then you would but it sounds like you "purchased" via a trade an upgrade to version 4 to get it to version 5 and not a separate copy of the application.

If you want to purchase version 4 from Apple and it sounds like you do, your best bet would be to call Apple or search eBay or the like.

 

[marioman38]

Yea, if you did the crossgrade, you wouldn't legally own version 4 anymore anyways. You would've had to buy the full version of FCS5.1 to retain your rights. If I were you, I'd just install FCP5 as long as she's just toying around with it. Buy it if she actually being productive though, or maybe even try
Final Cut Express for a fourth the cost?

 

[bigandy]

Yea, if you did the crossgrade, you wouldn't legally own version 4 anymore anyways. You would've had to buy the full version of FCS5.1 to retain your rights. If I were you, I'd just install FCP5 as long as she's just toying around with it. Buy it if she actually being productive though, or maybe even try
Final Cut Express for a fourth the cost?

legally you don't own FC4 anymore.

legally you can't install FC5 even if she's just toying around with it.

to be compliant with licensing, as you want, you need to buy her her own copy of FCP or (the probably more appropriate) FC Express.

or just let her use your machine and your copy when you're not!

 

[Moof1904]

One may infer from the offer that crossgrading from 4 to 5 means that one doesn't have the rights to 4 any more, but I don't think that's the case. Unless I've missed it, there's no language in the license agreement that says I can no longer run version 4. There was no requirement in the installation process that I first delete version 4 and no language that I could find that said I could no longer run version 4 now that I had purchased version 5.

Just because Apple required that I send my version 4 disk doesn't mean that I've forfeited rights to version 4. Apple requiring the disk could solely be their most effective way of ensuring that only those who truly own version 4 take advantage of the crossgrade.

-Edit-
The only thing I found in the license agreement on the subject is "Updates: If an Apple Software Update completely replaces (full install) a previously licensed version of the Apple Software, you may not use both versions of the Apple Software at the same time nor may you transfer them separately."

The above would cover, say, upgrading from Pages 1.0 to 1.1. One couldn't then say that becuase they had upgraded to iWork 1.1, version 1.0 could be installed (or sold) elsewhere. This is because the act of upgrading Pages 1.0 to 1.1 is a complete replacement of 1.0. There's no way to run the updater to 1.1 without obliterating Pages 1.0. The FCP crossgrade, on the other hand, did not do a full install/rewrite of the previous versions. I still had Motion 1.0, FCP 4, etc. on my drive when the installer finished. Therefore, as I understand the language of the license agreement, the crossgrade to version 5 did not obliterate my rights to version 4. If there's language somewhere else that I'm missing, I'd like to hear about it.

 

[SilentPanda]

Just because Apple required that I send my version 4 disk doesn't mean that I've forfeited rights to version 4. Apple requiring the disk could solely be their most effective way of ensuring that only those who truly own version 4 take advantage of the crossgrade.

In that case, call Apple and tell them they forgot to send your version 4 disc back! meanies.

 

[Moof1904]

I talked with the FCP support group and Apple and the guy confirmed that the license allows one to retain all rights to FCP in a crossgrade such as this one; however, I would have had to make a copy of my disk before I sent it in, as there's no way to obtain a replacement disk.

I guess I could try a new tact and just call and tell them that I lost my FCP4 disk and see if they have a mechanism for ordering a replacement disk...