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License Types

The appropriate use of software is defined by the terms of a contract called a license. CSU software licenses fall into the four main license categories described below. Generally, a license entitles users to use the software but not own it. The terms of use are specified in an End User License Agreement (EULA). Users are responsible for understanding and abiding by the terms of the EULA.

The types of licenses for supported software include:

Freeware

Software is offered as freeware by the author and does not require payment for its use. Freeware software may include commercial advertisement to defray the cost to maintain the software. Some freeware applications provide a non-advertisement version of their software for a fee.

Shareware

Users must pay a small fee to use the software beyond the trial period. After this evaluation period users are obligated either to pay the shareware fee or cease using the software.

Site Licensed

The campus or Chancellor's Office purchases contracts to permit designated segments of the campus community to use certain commercial and shareware software without charge to the individual or department. CSU site licensed software is provided to all members of the CSU campus community. However, a site license does not imply that the software is free for all members of the campus community to use. Some Site License contracts apply to all members of the campus community, while others limit their audience to specific members of the campus community. Check License Details for eligibility and restrictions. Site license agreements do not include the installation media or documentation. Products described as having a site license in the software portfolio typically enjoy the greatest range of access rights - all faculty, staff and students can be eligible for use of this software on their university owned machines, usually with work at home rights included. 

Limited Site Licensed

The campus or Chancellor's Office purchases contracts to permit designated segments of the campus community to use certain commercial and shareware software without charge to the individual or department. CSU site licensed software is provided to all members of the CSU campus community. However, a site license does not imply that the software is free for all members of the campus community to use. Some Site License contracts apply to all members of the campus community, while others limit their audience to specific members of the campus community. Check License Details for eligibility and restrictions. Site license agreements do not include the installation media or documentation. Limited site licenses also typically have some restrictions a true site license would not impose, so they may not, for example, include work at home rights, or the right to install the product on a personal computer. Restrictions vary widely on a per agreement basis, so please check the exact terms of your agreement or check with the University Software Coordinator before accessing, downloading, installing or sharing installation files. 

Commercial vs. Educational

The Chancellor's Office and Sacramento State have negotiated contracts that provide reduced pricing for many commercial products by software manufacturers like Adobe, AutoDesk, Microsoft and Thomson Reuters. These contracts vary widely in regards to purchasing and usage. Some contracts specify that software must be purchased with University funds for University use while others make no such distinction. Others restrict use to students enrolled in specific classes, or exclude research use, for example. Others offer limited functionality at a significantly discounted rate, or full functionality with "Educational Use Only" branding/watermarking on all produced documentation. 

Contracts vary concerning whether products must be purchased by the University or can be purchased by the employee. They also differ concerning University use versus private use. Depending on the terms of the agreement, software must be purchased by the department or may be purchased directly by the employee.  See License Details for further contract information on specific products.

For contract information on specific products, see License Details.

Work at Home Rights

Most software vendors determine usage rights by machine ownership. If the computer is owned by the University, purchased with University funds, it is generally covered under campus agreements. If, on the other hand, the computer is personally owned by an individual, rights to install the software on that machine are not necessarily covered. For individuals who need to conduct work activities on their personally owned laptops or home machines, the license needs to specifically address work at home rights. These enable the user to install a software product licensed by the university on their personal machines, for the purposes of conducting work for the university. These rights are only valid as long as the user is affiliated with the university, unless the terms of use state otherwise. It is the user's responsibility to confirm their eligibility and licensing responsibilities and to uninstall software to which they are no longer licensed, either due to separation from the university, or because a temporary work at home license has expired. For more information on the specific terms of your work at home license, or for a complete list of the software to which you are entitled, please contact the University Software Coordinator. 

Individual

Individual licenses are typically sold on a per user or per machine basis and are also usually perpetual, meaning that they follow that user or machine indefinitely. Individual licenses may have an annual maintenance fee associated with them, to ensure upgrade rights, but the license can be a stand-alone product, without maintenance or support as well.

Concurrent

Concurrent licensing is on the rise as it enables a large community of users to save money on licenses while still having their usage needs met. This model licenses a product per use, as opposed to per user, or per machine. You may, for example, have as many as 100 users with a particular product installed on their machines, while still only owning one concurrent license, if only one of those 100 users will be using that product at any given time. Adobe uses the concurrent licensing model, which is what we use in our campus labs and increasingly more across campus for faculty and staff.

Stand-alone vs. Suite

Products can be licensed either as stand-alone, separate products, or as part of a suite of products. Companies like Adobe and Microsoft typically bundle their products into a suite, like "Design Premium" or "Office", which may offer significant advantages to users who would use the majority of the products in the suite. Some bundles may not be "unbundled", and the user has to install all, or none, of the products (like Microsoft's Office Suite), but others, like Adobe, may also offer the abiliity to purchase the individual components of these suites on a stand-alone basis. Stand-alone pricing is a great cost-saving alternative in cases of specialized use, while suite purchases can offer signficant savings for lab applications. To determine the best scenario for your needs, within the perspective of the entire Universities procurement strategy, please consult the University Software Coordinator prior to purchase.