Fake lifetime license: Difference between revisions

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'''Fake lifetime license''' is a ~~marketing scam in which customers are misled and/or blatantly lied to~~, ~~with respect to the~~ expiration date ~~of a license they acquired~~.

A '''Fake lifetime license''' is a type of license that misleadingly claims it is permanent, doesn't have any expiration date and couldn't be revoked.

This is distinct from [[post-purchase EULA modification]], as the license was never changed, it was always fake.

==How it works==

Companies may deceptively ~~advertise~~ a product or service as having a "lifetime" or "forever" license, ~~so that~~ when a customer legally gets a license (typically by paying money), the customer is allowed to use the product/service for a ''limited'' period of time.

Fake lifetime licences are advertised as perpetual licenses that cannot be revoked or modified. Companies may deceptively use this practice on a product or service as having a "lifetime" or "forever" license, but when a customer legally gets a license (typically by paying money), the customer is only allowed to use the product/service for a ''limited'' period of time.

Sometimes, the "lifetime" refers to the warranty of the product, not the lifetime of the customer.

Companies do this to artificially increase profits, such as switching to a subscription model for recurring revenue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/adobe-creative-suite-officialy-retired/|~~title~~=~~After a record~~-~~breaking year, Adobe officially axes the old Creative Suite~~|date=2022-05-~~15|first=Hillary|last=Grigonis~~|work=Digital Trends}}</ref>

Companies do this to artificially increase profits, such as making their licensed copies unusable or making them very limited to encourage users to purchase another license for the same product or a more recent version of it, or by switching to a subscription model for recurring revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grigonis |first=Hillary |date=2022-05-15 |title=After a record-breaking year, Adobe officially axes the old Creative Suite |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/adobe-creative-suite-officialy-retired/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809163317/https://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/adobe-creative-suite-officialy-retired/ |archive-date=2022-08-09 |work=Digital Trends}}</ref>

==Why it is a problem==

Most, if not all, customers expect the license to last for as long as humanly possible. When the expectation breaks, they need to change their plans

===Misleading advertising===

Fake lifetime licenses hide the aspect that these licenses have already an established or undefined expiration date that might make the product only accessible via subscription payment or making it partially or completely inaccessible.

===Erosion of consumer rights===

The removal of a fake lifetime license erodes the rights of a consumer who purchased these licenses expecting to do a one-time purchase and keep their license forever, making them unable to use all product's features or access it again only if they pay a recurring fee or a new, taking away their right of ownership.

===Discrimination===

Users who paid for a fake perpetual license might not be able to afford purchasing a new one or paying a subscription, specially if the company increases the prices of the new licenses or subscription fees.

==Examples==

*[[VitalSource "Lifetime" false advertising]] - A license labeled as "lifetime" but only extends to 5 years.

*[[Microsoft]] removing [[Microsoft Office 2019 and 2021 for Mac view-only conversion (2026)| core features of licensed copies of Office 2019 and 2021 on Mac]] on July 2026

==References==

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 {{StubNotice}}
-'''Fake lifetime license''' is a marketing scam in which customers are misled and/or blatantly lied to, with respect to the expiration date of a license they acquired.
+A '''Fake lifetime license''' is a type of license that misleadingly claims it is permanent, doesn't have any expiration date and couldn't be revoked.
 This is distinct from [[post-purchase EULA modification]], as the license was never changed, it was always fake.
 ==How it works==
-Companies may deceptively advertise a product or service as having a "lifetime" or "forever" license, so that when a customer legally gets a license (typically by paying money), the customer is allowed to use the product/service for a ''limited'' period of time.
+Fake lifetime licences are advertised as perpetual licenses that cannot be revoked or modified. Companies may deceptively use this practice on a product or service as having a "lifetime" or "forever" license, but when a customer legally gets a license (typically by paying money), the customer is only allowed to use the product/service for a ''limited'' period of time.
 Sometimes, the "lifetime" refers to the warranty of the product, not the lifetime of the customer.
-Companies do this to artificially increase profits, such as switching to a subscription model for recurring revenue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/adobe-creative-suite-officialy-retired/|title=After a record-breaking year, Adobe officially axes the old Creative Suite|date=2022-05-15|first=Hillary|last=Grigonis|work=Digital Trends}}</ref>
+Companies do this to artificially increase profits, such as making their licensed copies unusable or making them very limited to encourage users to purchase another license for the same product or a more recent version of it, or by switching to a subscription model for recurring revenue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grigonis |first=Hillary |date=2022-05-15 |title=After a record-breaking year, Adobe officially axes the old Creative Suite |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/adobe-creative-suite-officialy-retired/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809163317/https://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/adobe-creative-suite-officialy-retired/ |archive-date=2022-08-09 |work=Digital Trends}}</ref>
 ==Why it is a problem==
 Most, if not all, customers expect the license to last for as long as humanly possible. When the expectation breaks, they need to change their plans<!-- Someone PLEASE help me here. This is so poorly done -->
+===Misleading advertising===
+Fake lifetime licenses hide the aspect that these licenses have already an established or undefined expiration date that might make the product only accessible via subscription payment or making it partially or completely inaccessible.
+===Erosion of consumer rights===
+The removal of a fake lifetime license erodes the rights of a consumer who purchased these licenses expecting to do a one-time purchase and keep their license forever, making them unable to use all product's features or access it again only if they pay a recurring fee or a new, taking away their right of ownership.
+===Discrimination===
+Users who paid for a fake perpetual license might not be able to afford purchasing a new one or paying a subscription, specially if the company increases the prices of the new licenses or subscription fees.
 ==Examples==
 *[[VitalSource "Lifetime" false advertising]] - A license labeled as "lifetime" but only extends to 5 years.
+*[[Microsoft]] removing [[Microsoft Office 2019 and 2021 for Mac view-only conversion (2026)| core features of licensed copies of Office 2019 and 2021 on Mac]] on July 2026
 ==References==