I am not going to use it for commisions or earn money on anything I do in the program, but I’m only 14 years old.
Okay. Let me see if I understand this. You’re 14 years old and not attending school of ANY kind? Shouldn’t you be in, like, 9th grade or something? I don’t think that Autodesk is specifically saying that you’ve got to be in college or art school of any kind. Even as a high school student you’re okay.
That said…
My question is: Is it legal to download the free student version of Maya, when you’re not a student?
Short and simple? No.
The basic requirements, afaik, are that you either have to be a student at an accredited institution, a teacher, or are mentoring somebody in an Autodesk sponsored contest or event. If you’re none of those things then you don’t qualify. Some people might say, “Oh, but that just means that what you’ll be doing is unethical. It’s not stealing. Gimme a break.” Well… Not really true.
The whole deal is a multi-part thing. You’ve got the software, the serial numbers, and the activation. The software itself is worthless without a serial number, the code for which you’d normally have to pay. Getting that code and not qualifying means that you’re basically circumventing the system. You’re then taking it a step further by actually making use of their activation servers, which (iirc) get routinely checked to validate your installation.
You don’t own the software. Nobody does, really. At best, if you’re paying, you really only own a license to use that software. Autodesk is the actual owner. They’re just granting you the right to use it. It’s their ball, which means that they make the rules. If they want to give it away for free then that’s what they can do. If they want to sell it then that’s their right too. If they want to offer a limited license to legitimate students then that’s ALSO their right.
Autodesk gets to say who does and who doesn’t use their software. It’s their intellectual property. If they don’t want you to use Maya without qualifying for a freebie license or paying then, well, you can’t use it. Period. If you don’t qualify, but still manage to obtain their software and use it without paying then you’re guilty of IP infringement same as if you had downloaded a cracked copy. The only difference here is that you’re using their actual activation servers instead of spoofing them.
It’s not just an issue of morality here. It isn’t. In the “old days” stealing software involved actually taking the box or something like that. You were physically depriving the companies of actual, physical units. Today, we’re in a digital world. Product exists only as 1s and 0s. What you’re being sold, as I said, isn’t a physical item, but a license. When you use software without being given express permission to use it then you’re doing so without license. You’ve taken a right that can only be given to you. By pretending to be a student, especially by giving a fake e-mail or school, then you’re unjustly enriching yourself through fraudulent means.
Look. Autodesk does have a sort of license compliance group that is tasked with weeding out pirates and such. However, it’s very unlikely that you’d be targeted. You, as a single user and a 14 year old no less, aren’t their worry. You’re small potatoes. They’re after the hacking groups and the studios that are illegally using $40k worth of licenses. Those are the guys cutting into their bottom line. I’m not saying that you doing it wouldn’t matter. It sure would. You’re just not their main concern.
IMO, you probably won’t get caught. You just shouldn’t do it though. Like I said, it’s not just unethical. It’s illegal. In the US, copyright infringement is normally a criminal offense and is punishable via fine and/or jail. You’re 14 so things are a bit different, but it’s still no less illegal. You’d be obtaining a license, for which you don’t qualify and aren’t paying, through some degree of fraud or misrepresentation, explicit or otherwise.
Like I said, don’t do it. You’re 14 years old. Just use Blender. It’s super powerful, it’s 100% free, you CAN use it in professional environments and for commercial work. Build your portfolio that way. If you then earn enough money to transition over to a Maya subscription then good for you. You’ll be legal.
FWIW, there a lot of working professionals who have basically given the finger to commercial software. I, for one, have been doing CG for close to 28 years now - twice as long as you’ve been alive. I’ve just about used it all in that time. Maya. LightWave. Cinema4D. Rhino. 3dsmax. Shade. You name it. I got REALLY tired of that crazy train of high priced upgrades with very little new. It was getting harder and harder to justify the price of admission. I decided, unless I’m absolutely forced to use something else, I’m going with Blender. It’s plenty powerful and no less flawed than the $$$ competitors. Maya’s not a perfect app either. There’s no such beast.
You may indeed have to use Maya at some point in the future. However, for now, why risk using a bogus license when you don’t have to? You’re 14 years old. Like I said, Blender’s 100% free and more than powerful to do commercial work with. When the time comes that you want to transition to Maya, it’ll be a fairly trivial affair. The buttons will be in different places and Maya might have different names for familiar functions, but the concepts are universal. Your transition period might be counted in weeks, days, or hours depending on your skill level going in and what you need to do.
Once again… If you’re not a student, a teacher, or a qualifying mentor then you’re not entitled to download, activate, or use a student license. No ifs, ands, or buts. Unethical. Illegal. You probably won’t get caught, but that shouldn’t matter. You’ve got viable alternatives. There should be no excuse, imo.
You’re 14. I’d be surprised if you weren’t in school. In that case, even as a high school student, you’re good to go. Download and enjoy.
ANYWAY… To answer your question…