Autodesk to end sale of Perpetual Licenses of Delcam Software

“Autodesk will no longer offer new perpetual licenses for Delcam software – PowerMill, PowerShape, PowerInspect, ArtCAM, and FeatureCAM, from January 31, 2017. The purchase of new licenses by both new and existing customers will only be available by subscription wef 1st Feb 2017” says Pankaj Gauba – Head – Digital Manufacturing – Autodesk India & Middle East. As per Pankaj, below is a set of important information for design software users:-

Q. Why is Autodesk transitioning to subscription licenses?
Subscription licenses offer customers a lower entry price, greater choice of tools and the ability to pay-as-you-go. With its shift away from selling perpetual rights to use a specific version of software, Autodesk will continually innovate and improve products and supporting services that customers subscribe to, allowing access from multiple devices at any time, making them easier to deploy and manage, and reducing file compatibility issues.

Q. Does this affect existing software purchased under a perpetual license?
No. Existing or new perpetual licenses purchased up to January 31st, 2017, remain valid. Customers retain their perpetual software license and can continue to use it in accordance with their perpetual license agreement. All software products covered by a maintenance plan will continue to receive benefits such as technical support, the latest software release, previous version and other licensing rights, and product updates.

Q. What is involved in subscribing to Autodesk products?
Subscribing to Autodesk products gives you access to the same full version of Autodesk software as the equivalent perpetual license – but with a flexible, pay-as-you-go approach for a software budget that is easier to manage.

Q. Is Autodesk making any changes in terms of how I can subscribe to products?
To provide customers with greater purchasing flexibility, Autodesk has introduced multi-year (2-year and 3-year) terms for new subscriptions. This locks customers in to current subscription pricing, protecting them from any future increases.

Q. What is a maintenance plan?
Maintenance plans ensures a perpetual license holder receives benefits such as Basic Support, options for more advanced support, and access to the latest software and product enhancements. A maintenance plan agreement must be applied to each separately purchased perpetual license.

Q. How will this change impact customer with a maintenance plan?
Customers with current maintenance plans will have the option to renew their maintenance plan and continue receiving the corresponding benefits. Autodesk has no plans to stop offering maintenance plan renewals. However, it is important to renew the maintenance plan on time to continue to access the benefits.

If a maintenance plan is not renewed on time, customers will have to subscribe to their Autodesk product if they want access to the latest features and functionality.

Q. How long can customers continue to renew current maintenance plans?
While Autodesk is discontinuing the sale of new perpetual licenses, we are not eliminating maintenance plans. Customers with maintenance plans may continue to renew their maintenance plans and receive the appropriate benefits for the foreseeable future.

Q. What happens if a customer with a perpetual license chooses to discontinue their maintenance plan?
Customers with expired maintenance plans can continue using their perpetual licenses. However, they will lose the benefits of maintenance plans such as updates, technical product support, flexible license rights and cloud services. If a maintenance plan is not renewed, customers will be able to subscribe to Autodesk products to get the latest features and functionality.

For more information,
Website: www.autodesk.com/campaigns/end-of-perpetual-make