Autodesk - We help bring good things to an end

#21

Well, you may have seen my posts here earlier. So I started to look elsewhere (can’t afford the higher-end version of MB…). And… I just don’t trust Autodesk anymore.

[and now my apologies for partially repeating info that I posted in another MB thread in CGTALK, but I think users may be as interested as I am]

I found Messiah Studio and contacted them. They are willing to offer a special price side/upgrade for MB users.

You can find the rest of the details at this forum thread

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=347900

or the www.projectmessiah.com Shop under upgrades

Cheers !!

– Luis Mederos
luis@ltm3.net

#22

So, one could argue, they are in breach of their own contract to provide users with a permanent license of MB5. I’m sure however, they will wangle their way out of this by saying it was Kaydara and not themselves that made that offer. As Kaydara is now defunct, they are not required to keep the promises made with regards licenses.

Ya know, sad to say, I’m not remotely surprised by these money grabbing tactics, they are low life pond scum and no way in hades am I going to be buying one of their products in future. As soon as Kayadara was bought out, I could see this slope forming.

They have shown, very clearly, they are interested only in the bottom line.

Hmm, I can see a search for keygen cracks for MB5.5 becoming a popular thing after June.

#23

I crossed posted the link to this topic over at 3DBuzz. Come over to our house and join in to our party as well.

http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?p=1067581#post1067581

#24

By purchasing Alias and by Alias purchasing Kaydara, in the end Autodesk OWNS ALL debt and liabilities from both companies. Kaydara sold permanent licenses, Alias supported and sold permanent licenses. It is therfore illegal for Autodesk to revok these permanent licenses purchased and used in good faith. Autodesk can discontinue support and upgrades but they can’t leagally make it impossible for you to use your software licenses. Autodesk either needs to upgrade all 5 and 6 owners to 7.5 for FREE or give out PERPETUAL licenses to install and use MB 5 and 6 with.

#25

Well, if they give me some sort of key generator (which they obviously use) so I can contniue to use MB5.5 permanently, that’ll do me, or some fix/patch which removes the need to keep changing the key with a key coded only to a serial no. not the particular ID of the hardware config. To be honest though, I don’t see them caring a jot about what they should do, they figure, if we can’t afford it, well tough on us.

Oh how I’d love to be proven wrong. :wink: :deal:

#26

So what I think we all want is a resonable upgrade price for 7.5 or a change in the licensing which allows us to transfer it to other machines. Perhaps a portable licensing utility which allows the user to move his license around without any support from Autodesk. Also, the upgrade price needs to be alot less. It’s Autodesk’s decision to kill the standard version so they need to make it painless for us to upgrade to the new version. I’m thinking somewhere around 1/4 of what they’re asking for now. What do other people think would be fair?

#27

Ok guys here is my response I sent to Autodesk.

In response to the announcement that Autodesk is terminating licenses of Motion Builder Standard 5, 5.5 and 6. I would like to remind you that a commercial license purchaser of version 5 and 6 per the EULA and in good standing are granted a “PERPETUAL” license and by definition can NOT be terminated. (Refer to Section 2.2.6 of Motion Builder License Agreement http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=6932549 ).

Perhaps there is a misunderstanding here on the part of Autodesk. Each license owner is given a single and unique serial number which in itself constitutes a single license. Autodesk’s use of the phrase “[color=black]no longer be possible to acquire new licenses” is technically an activation code since no purchase is being made when acquiring this code to unlock the software. This is exactly similar to what Microsoft does with Windows XP and the use of an activation code. Microsoft calls it an activation code, Autodesk is now calling it acquiring new license. Call it what you like it is not the same as purchasing a new license because a unique serial number is not issued at the time the acquired license (code) is granted. In fact Autodesk also calls this an activation code in the current Motion Builder EULA (refer to section 6.2 of Motion Builder License Agreement [/color]http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=6932549 ).

I implore you to review the EULA’s of past and present and continue to allow license owners of Motion Builder Standard 5, 5.5 and 6 the use of the software they legally purchased and are using in good faith. Anything less simply put will be a bad business decision.

Thank you

David Spamer

Pixel Dimensions

Creator of the [font=Arial]Lightwave Skeleton File for Motion Builder Users on CGTalk.com with 24,187 views. [/font]

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=65961

#28

Nicely put David,
I do feel they are technically in breach of their own contracts by doing this but big business rarely worries about “the small guy”.

I wonder, two years down the line, will they abolish the pro version and only provide a “Studio” version, which can be bought for a mere $12,000 ? Given they’ve pulled this sort of stunt once, I for one would be wary of relying on them for any future-proof pipeline.

#29

Way to go Dave!

Can you tell me the correct address to send a response to.
As I would also like to responed but need to know they have received it.

#30

These were the one’s I found. One of these was posted previously.

‘rsc@alias.com’
‘partner.abc@autodesk.com’; ‘customercare.abc@autodesk.com’; ‘hotline@alias.com’; ‘hotline_esc@alias.com’

#31

just to join in the fray — I too have been a loyal user of MB since the days of Kaydara and feel totally abused and tossed aside by Autodesk. Even worse, I didn’t even get this email notification about the ‘retirement’ of MB 5 - 6 licences. I bet it’s because I’m in the south pacific and they could care less about such a small user base. Plus the less we know the less protest their will be for Autodesk to do as they like.
This is such a betrayal of trust. I am an honest paying customer who owns other Autodesk products. Yet I’m treated like a second rate citizen. Nice going AD.
As someone has already rightly pointed out, how hard is it for them to maintain a serial server on their network? Seriously!
Make LOTS of noise people. Multiple posts on as many boards as is appropriate.

#32

i’m with ya Duffdaddy

make noise

btw nice email 3dDave…very lawyer-like

#33

should you want to email Autodesk: advbus.abc AT autodesk.com

I got a reply to say my complaint would be forwarded to management… Let them know what you think.

Dear Campbell,
Thank you for your e-mail concerning the the new Motionbuilder licensing notice that was sent out to our customers recently. I have forwarded your e-mail to our Management team for further investigation about what this means for your license in the future. They will contact you regarding this issue, or I will send you an e-mail as soon as I hear back from them.

Thank you very much for your feedback and thank you for contacting Autodesk, Inc.

Sincerely,
Tabitha Szary
Autodesk
ABC Representative
Autodesk Business Center
Worldwide Customer Operations

#34

that’s obviously a canned response since i got the same one…

we’ll see if they do respond

#35

fwiw: I got a non-canned response from rsc_at_alias.com. They basically said the same thing… passing it on and would let me know… That was several days ago. Could be sending canned responses now(?)

#36

No response here yet, perhaps they are busy reading their EULA’s.

#37

yep, still waiting also - and that’s from my earlier enquiry about whether they’d let me upgrade to v7 standard as an interim measure.

#38

I got one cookie cutter response and one personal one.

#39

Yeah. I doubt anything will come of this. I attempted to sell my license a while back and so contacted Alias. I emailed them first back in June of 2005. Emailed them again in August. Finally in November I got a response. They would get “back” to me. Then after emailing them again in late December I got a response and a link to fill out a STAR form (license transfer form). It took until March to finally be told that I would be unable to transfer the license. Now this load of crap so I can’t renew it either.

#40

I say if you bought those versions and they no longer want to help you then fine. I say just

and IT

I think this is one of the occasions in principle where you would be perfectly in your right.
That’s like someone jacking your car, and putting it in their yard. You have a right to get your keys, and take your car back.

Can you imagine if your car company did this? Your car breaks down, you take it to the dealer for repair, the dealer won’t give you your car back and says you have to buy a more expensive car?

I take in my Honda Civic for repair. They take it to the garage, tell me they no longer support or fix that year, you can’t have your car back to take it somewhere else, and they say the only way you can get your car is to buy another one but at a price 2-4Xs higher than your previous car. Yeah that is ethical.

I say bypass their ethics and claim what is yours. You bought it and you have a right to use it.