Lifetime license removal: Difference between revisions

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Lifetime licenses are granted for software that many consumers and businesses rely upon daily for the simple fact that it is more affordable in the long-term for these products and services. As subscription-based products have become more favorable for investors among various companies,<ref>{{Cite web |last=The ProValet Team |date=Oct 16, 2024 |title=Subscription vs. One-Time Purchase: Which Saves You More Money? |url=https://www.provalet.io/guides-posts/subscription-vs-one-time-purchase |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=ProValet}}</ref> many are forced outside of the licenses that they expected were theirs to own as-is following the terminology of "lifetime." The removal of these licenses combat the consumers' [[right to own]] the products that they paid for.

Lifetime licenses (also known as perpetual licenses, or one-time purchases) are granted for software that many consumers and businesses rely upon daily for the simple fact that it is more affordable in the long-term for these products and services. As subscription-based products have become more favorable for investors among various companies,<ref>{{Cite web |last=The ProValet Team |date=Oct 16, 2024 |title=Subscription vs. One-Time Purchase: Which Saves You More Money? |url=https://www.provalet.io/guides-posts/subscription-vs-one-time-purchase |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=ProValet}}</ref> many are forced outside of the licenses that they expected were theirs to own as-is following the terminology of "lifetime." The removal of these licenses combat the consumers' [[right to own]] the products that they paid for.

==Why it is a problem==

~~{{Placeholder box|If the theme or common term is positive for the consumer this section can be omitted.~~

===~~Point 1~~===

=== Right to Own ===

The sale of these licenses are made with the expectation that the purchaser will forever retain access to this license. When these are revoked among a litany of reasons, via a multitude of methods, such as discontinuing the software or [[Retroactively amended purchase|retroactively amending the agreement]], it defies the [[Right to own|right to ownership]].

~~===Point 2===~~

==Examples==

}}

==Examples==

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|+

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|[[Filmora]]

|2022

|In 2022, Wondershare updated their licensing terms inside their EULA to mark all lifetime licenses as invalid;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Ernie |date=3 Jan 2023 |title=Filmora lifetime license controversy |url=https://midrange.tedium.co/issues/filmora-lifetime-license-controversy/ |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=MidRange}}</ref> in 2024, consumers sued over this revocation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCroskey |first=Kelsey |date=26 February 2024 |title=Wondershare Hit with Lawsuit Over Alleged Subscription Auto-Renewal Practices |url=https://www.classaction.org/news/wondershare-hit-with-lawsuit-over-alleged-subscription-auto-renewal-practices |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=ClassAction.org}}</ref>

|In 2022, Wondershare updated their licensing terms inside their EULA to mark all lifetime licenses as invalid;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Ernie |date=3 Jan 2023 |title=Filmora lifetime license controversy |url=https://midrange.tedium.co/issues/filmora-lifetime-license-controversy/ |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=MidRange}}</ref> in 2024, consumers sued over this revocation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCroskey |first=Kelsey |date=26 February 2024 |title=Wondershare Hit with Lawsuit Over Alleged Subscription Auto-Renewal Practices |url=https://www.classaction.org/news/wondershare-hit-with-lawsuit-over-alleged-subscription-auto-renewal-practices |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=ClassAction.org}}</ref>

|[[Filmora lifetime licenses terminated]]

|-

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|[[Fongo changes purchased Lifetime Ad Removal to Monthly Subscription]]

[[FreePhoneLine revokes Lifetime VoIP service for monthly subscription model.]]

|-

|[[Autodesk]]

|[[AutoCAD]], [[Autodesk Inventor|Inventor]], etc.

|2023

|In 2016, Autodesk concluded the sale of lifetime licenses,<ref>{{Cite web |last=AutoCAD life time license |date=Jan 5, 2024 |title=AutoCAD life time license |url=https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/installation-licensing-forum/autocad-life-time-license/td-p/12480109 |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=[[Autodesk]] Community}}</ref> focusing exclusively on a subscription based model; In 2023, they [[Retroactively amended purchase|retroactively amended the agreement]] with the purpose of revoking lifetime licenses from all Autodesk users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ace_Dragon |date=Jul 1, 2023 |title=Autodesk changes the deal, retroactively cancels all remaining lifetime licenses |url=https://blenderartists.org/t/autodesk-changes-the-deal-retroactively-cancels-all-remaining-lifetime-licenses/1471477 |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=Blender Artists Community}}</ref>

|[[Autodesk retroactively revokes all lifetime licenses]]

|-

|[[MediaMall]]

|[[PlayOn]]

|2021

|In 2021, PlayOn discontinued support for PlayOn Desktop,<ref>{{Cite web |last=JaviPlanma |date=Nov 8, 2021 |title=PSA to Companies: DO NOT OFFER LIFETIME LICENSES if you don't intend to follow through |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/PlayOn/comments/qpi14m/psa_to_companies_do_not_offer_lifetime_licenses/ |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=Reddit}}</ref> which forced users to use PlayOn Home or PlayOn Cloud instead, both of which have no lifetime subscriptions.

|[[PlayOn Desktop discontinued]]

|-

|[[Mailbird]]

|2025

|TBA<ref>{{Cite news |last=Raindog308 |date=Mar 10, 2025 |title=The Mailbird Scam: When a "Lifetime" License is Not Lifetime |url=https://lowendbox.com/blog/the-mailbird-scam-when-a-lifetime-license-is-not-lifetime/ |access-date=May 28, 2025 |work=LowEndBox}}</ref>

|[[Mailbird revokes lifetime licenses]]

|-

|[[Better Way Electronics]]

|Various [[PlayStation]] repair tools

|2024-2025

|TBA

|}

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*[[Storefront shutdown]]

*[[Right to own|Right to ~~Own~~]]

*[[Right to own|Right to own]]

*[[Retroactively amended purchase]]

==References==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{StubNotice}}
-Lifetime licenses are granted for software that many consumers and businesses rely upon daily for the simple fact that it is more affordable in the long-term for these products and services. As subscription-based products have become more favorable for investors among various companies,<ref>{{Cite web |last=The ProValet Team |date=Oct 16, 2024 |title=Subscription vs. One-Time Purchase: Which Saves You More Money? |url=https://www.provalet.io/guides-posts/subscription-vs-one-time-purchase |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=ProValet}}</ref> many are forced outside of the licenses that they expected were theirs to own as-is following the terminology of "lifetime." The removal of these licenses combat the consumers' [[right to own]] the products that they paid for.
+Lifetime licenses (also known as perpetual licenses, or one-time purchases) are granted for software that many consumers and businesses rely upon daily for the simple fact that it is more affordable in the long-term for these products and services. As subscription-based products have become more favorable for investors among various companies,<ref>{{Cite web |last=The ProValet Team |date=Oct 16, 2024 |title=Subscription vs. One-Time Purchase: Which Saves You More Money? |url=https://www.provalet.io/guides-posts/subscription-vs-one-time-purchase |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=ProValet}}</ref> many are forced outside of the licenses that they expected were theirs to own as-is following the terminology of "lifetime." The removal of these licenses combat the consumers' [[right to own]] the products that they paid for.
 ==Why it is a problem==
-{{Placeholder box|If the theme or common term is positive for the consumer this section can be omitted.
-===Point 1===
+=== Right to Own ===
+The sale of these licenses are made with the expectation that the purchaser will forever retain access to this license. When these are revoked among a litany of reasons, via a multitude of methods, such as discontinuing the software or [[Retroactively amended purchase|retroactively amending the agreement]], it defies the [[Right to own|right to ownership]].
-===Point 2===
+==Examples<!-- Web search to flip through: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=lifetime+product+license+revoked+-driver&t=brave&ia=web  Possible things to investigate to add: Norton   --><!-- I want to add this one, BUT the article has ZERO work done. https://consumerrights.wiki/Tango_Elegoo_Edition_False_Lifetime_License -->==
-}}
-==Examples<!-- Web search to flip through: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=lifetime+product+license+revoked+-driver&t=brave&ia=web  Possible things to investigate to add: AutoDesk Norton Filmora  https://linustechtips.com/topic/1476599-filmora-is-no-longer-supporting-users-lifetime-licenses/page/2/ PlayOn https://www.reddit.com/r/PlayOn/comments/qpi14m/psa_to_companies_do_not_offer_lifetime_licenses/ Mailbird https://lowendbox.com/blog/the-mailbird-scam-when-a-lifetime-license-is-not-lifetime/  --><!-- I want to add this one, BUT the article has ZERO work done. https://consumerrights.wiki/Tango_Elegoo_Edition_False_Lifetime_License -->==
 {| class="wikitable sortable"
 |+
@@ Line 53: / Line 50: @@
 |[[Filmora]]
 |2022
-|In 2022, Wondershare updated their licensing terms inside their EULA to mark all lifetime licenses as invalid;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Ernie |date=3 Jan 2023 |title=Filmora lifetime license controversy |url=https://midrange.tedium.co/issues/filmora-lifetime-license-controversy/ |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=MidRange}}</ref> in 2024, consumers sued over this revocation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCroskey |first=Kelsey |date=26 February 2024 |title=Wondershare Hit with Lawsuit Over Alleged Subscription Auto-Renewal Practices |url=https://www.classaction.org/news/wondershare-hit-with-lawsuit-over-alleged-subscription-auto-renewal-practices |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=ClassAction.org}}</ref>
+|In 2022, Wondershare updated their licensing terms inside their EULA to mark all lifetime licenses as invalid;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Ernie |date=3 Jan 2023 |title=Filmora lifetime license controversy |url=https://midrange.tedium.co/issues/filmora-lifetime-license-controversy/ |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=MidRange}}</ref> in 2024, consumers sued over this revocation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCroskey |first=Kelsey |date=26 February 2024 |title=Wondershare Hit with Lawsuit Over Alleged Subscription Auto-Renewal Practices |url=https://www.classaction.org/news/wondershare-hit-with-lawsuit-over-alleged-subscription-auto-renewal-practices |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=ClassAction.org}}</ref><!-- Extra source: https://linustechtips.com/topic/1476599-filmora-is-no-longer-supporting-users-lifetime-licenses/page/2/ -->
 |[[Filmora lifetime licenses terminated]]
 |-
@@ Line 68: / Line 65: @@
 |[[Fongo changes purchased Lifetime Ad Removal to Monthly Subscription]]
 [[FreePhoneLine revokes Lifetime VoIP service for monthly subscription model.]]
+|-
+|[[Autodesk]]
+|[[AutoCAD]], [[Autodesk Inventor|Inventor]], etc.
+|2023
+|In 2016, Autodesk concluded the sale of lifetime licenses,<ref>{{Cite web |last=AutoCAD life time license |date=Jan 5, 2024 |title=AutoCAD life time license |url=https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/installation-licensing-forum/autocad-life-time-license/td-p/12480109 |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=[[Autodesk]] Community}}</ref> focusing exclusively on a subscription based model; In 2023, they [[Retroactively amended purchase|retroactively amended the agreement]] with the purpose of revoking lifetime licenses from all Autodesk users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ace_Dragon |date=Jul 1, 2023 |title=Autodesk changes the deal, retroactively cancels all remaining lifetime licenses |url=https://blenderartists.org/t/autodesk-changes-the-deal-retroactively-cancels-all-remaining-lifetime-licenses/1471477 |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=Blender Artists Community}}</ref>
+|[[Autodesk retroactively revokes all lifetime licenses]]
+|-
+|[[MediaMall]]
+|[[PlayOn]]
+|2021
+|In 2021, PlayOn discontinued support for PlayOn Desktop,<ref>{{Cite web |last=JaviPlanma |date=Nov 8, 2021 |title=PSA to Companies: DO NOT OFFER LIFETIME LICENSES if you don't intend to follow through |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/PlayOn/comments/qpi14m/psa_to_companies_do_not_offer_lifetime_licenses/ |access-date=May 28, 2025 |website=Reddit}}</ref> which forced users to use PlayOn Home or PlayOn Cloud instead, both of which have no lifetime subscriptions.
+|[[PlayOn Desktop discontinued]]
+|-
+|[[Mailbird]]
+|[[Mailbird]]
+|2025
+|TBA<ref>{{Cite news |last=Raindog308 |date=Mar 10, 2025 |title=The Mailbird Scam: When a "Lifetime" License is Not Lifetime |url=https://lowendbox.com/blog/the-mailbird-scam-when-a-lifetime-license-is-not-lifetime/ |access-date=May 28, 2025 |work=LowEndBox}}</ref>
+|[[Mailbird revokes lifetime licenses]]
+|-
+|[[Better Way Electronics]]
+|Various [[PlayStation]] repair tools
+|2024-2025
+|TBA
+|TBA
 |}
@@ Line 73: / Line 94: @@
 *[[Storefront shutdown]]
-*[[Right to own|Right to Own]]
+*[[Right to own|Right to own]]
+*[[Retroactively amended purchase]]
 ==References==