[License question] Is it possible & legal for multiple people to work on one Affinity account?

[suntanglory]

I have a question regarding license of Affinity products. The company I'm working for switched to Affinity a while back. Software is installed on only one computer (the one I'm using at the office). I am leaving by the end of the week. The company is trying to cut their costs so they're not gonna hire a new designer to work at the office full-time, they're hiring a freelancer who's gonna work remotely. Freelancers are probably going to change every few months.

There is an issue regarding software cause most of our files now are made in Affinity, and Adobe doesn't support the files whatsoever (and Adobe is unfortunately still the most popular software so there is a high possibility that the freelancers the company is going to hire use Adobe). My boss wants to avoid asking the freelancer to buy Affinity so we're looking for another way. Can this problem be solved by letting the freelancer install Affinity on their computer using the company's account (the one that's currently installed on company's computer at the office)? And if so, would there be any issues later when after a few months another person logs in and starts using the same account?

[Alfred]

1 hour ago, suntanglory said:

Can this problem be solved by letting the freelancer install Affinity on their computer using the company's account (the one that's currently installed on company's computer at the office)?

No. The licence that you’re currently using permits your boss to install the software on computers owned or controlled by him/her: on multiple computers for use by a single person, or on a single computer for use by multiple people, but not both. A freelancer’s computer is clearly not owned or controlled by your boss.

[suntanglory]

Is this the case if the freelancer is an employee of the firm? Cause that would mean that if I wanted to work remotely and didn't have Affinity installed/bought on my personal computer, I couldn't work at all cause it would be impossible (illegal) for me to use the company's account on my computer. Which seems a little weird to me.

[IanSG]

6 minutes ago, suntanglory said:

Is this the case if the freelancer is an employee of the firm? 

Isn't that a contradiction?

[suntanglory]

There might be some technical/wording issues. By "freelancer" I meant a person who is not hired by the company full-time BUT:

I live in Poland, there are different types of cooperation possible
- a person, a "freelancer" who runs a one-person company and does stuff for different clients. Contracts signed are between two companies so the "freelancer" is not the client's employee
- a person hired full-time by employment contract (like me right now), is officially a company's employee, this contract has some strict rules both sides have to follow

and in my company's case:
- a person hired by comission contract. This person is still officially an employee of the company but on slightly different rules than the employment contract

 

[Alfred]

If you are an employee, whether part time or full time, temporary or permanent, then you are not a freelancer. Does that help? 

[walt.farrell]

2 hours ago, suntanglory said:

Cause that would mean that if I wanted to work remotely and didn't have Affinity installed/bought on my personal computer,

If it is your personal computer then the license purchased by the company for use on their computer(s) does not apply.

Some solutions:

1. You buy a license.
2. They give you a computer for you to use, and use their license for Affinity, since it is then their computer.
3. They buy you a license for the application, by purchasing a redemption code that they send to you.

Probably it is best for the company to contact Serif directly via email or the contact form on the Affinity website, and inquire if there are other options.