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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
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 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.[1]
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 core features of licensed copies of Office 2019 and 2021 on Mac on July 2026
References
- ↑ Grigonis, Hillary (2022-05-15). "After a record-breaking year, Adobe officially axes the old Creative Suite". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on 2022-08-09.