OS X piracy?

[ndpitch]

What's stopping people from taking a copy of OS X that they bought, and installing it on as many Macs as they want to? I ask because I feel I could easily upgrade my girlfriend's macbook with my copy of Lion, but I'm not sure if that's "officially" frowned upon or not. If it's okay to do it for 1 person, what about 2 people? 3 people? Where do you draw the line?

Apple doesn't issue software keys for OS X, so they seem to not care too much. But still. I dunno.

 

[iLog.Genius]

There really isn't anything to stop someone from installing OS X on multiple machines. Read the TOA - it will outline how many computers you're allowed to install a copy of OS X.

 

[marsmissions]

Nothing stops anybody.

Apple is and always will be a hardware company, they design software to use on their hardware. They make money from the computer you bought, the software is a very small portion of what they make.

They want you to buy their software, but protecting it isn't worth the time since you already bought the hardware to run the software.

 

[BarkingGhost]

Nothing stops anybody.

Apple is and always will be a hardware company, they design software to use on their hardware. They make money from the computer you bought, the software is a very small portion of what they make.

They want you to buy their software, but protecting it isn't worth the time since you already bought the hardware to run the software.

According to their latest reports, they make 70% of their money from something other than computers.

 

[farmermac]

Lions terms say you can install it on basically any machine in your household. Go ahead and install it as far as apple is concerned it's not piracy

 

[iLog.Genius]

According to their latest reports, they make 70% of their money from something other than computers.

Apple probably makes the most from iPhone/iTunes/iPod but what I think he meant to say was Apple's Mac business, OS X isn't that big because you need to have the hardware to use the software.

 

[Gregg2]

Lions terms say you can install it on basically any machine in your household.

Correct. That's the key point.

The classic dilemma: roommates. Currently, they live in the same household, but soon they will not. Who gets the software?

BTW, there is an exception for students. You're still a member of your family's household, until you graduate, when, hopefully, though not as much these days, you'll be creating a new household of your own.

 

[Duff-Man]

Correct. That's the key point.

Duff-Man says...no, not quite correct - it's *computers you own or control* not computers in a household - there is a difference. The 10.7 License Agreement states:

If you obtained a license for the Apple Software from the Mac App Store, then subject to the terms and conditions of this License and as permitted by the Mac App Store Usage Rules set forth in the App Store Terms and Conditions (http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/ww/) (“Usage Rules”), you are granted a limited, non-transferable, non-exclusive license:
(i) to download, install, use and run for personal, non-commercial use, one (1) copy of the Apple Software directly on each Apple-branded computer running Mac OS X Snow Leopard or Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server (“Mac Computer”) that you own or control

Installing on your own Mac, however many *you* have, is in compliance. Installing on everyone else in the "household" that may own a Mac is not, unless you "control" their Mac (which is a bit of grey area sometimes)....oh yeah!

 

[old-wiz]

Wonder if Lion will refuse to update if you don't have it properly purchased via the App store?

 

[ndpitch]

Okay. So Apple does state in the agreement their terms. But how do they know who is following those terms? Can they really tell that the copy of Lion that I purchased and burned to a DVD and installed on my girlfriend's MacBook isn't a computer that I own and control?

I don't think they can tell? Unless they're generating a serial number for every image of Lion downloaded that end users never see, I don't know how they'd keep track of it. It seems to be more of an honors system.

 

[Mal]

Lion is no different than any other release of OS X in this respect. It's always been on the honor system, because a system that makes it more difficult for honest, reasonable people to install and use is unacceptable to Apple. I don't think they'd have any security measures if there were other good, unavoidable reasons, but they don't want to put any DRM in their OS releases because it's a hassle for honest people and easy for dishonest people to circumvent anyways.

jW

 

[Gregg2]

- it's *computers you own or control* not computers in a household -

Yeah, I guess that household thing was pre-Lion. Gotta make a memory adjustment.