Is it possible for a group or people to transfer a license from one user in that group to another?

[GarryP]

This doesn’t apply to me but the question popped into my head so I thought I’d ask as the answer might be interesting.

Given the following scenario:
* There is an organisation – such as a small neighbourhood group – which wants to buy a copy of, for example, Publisher to use for editing their newsletter.
* They only have one newsletter editor at any time – one person who uses the software at any one time – but the editing duties may pass from person to person as it often does in small groups like this when people leave the group or the duties are transferred, etc.
* All of the editors will have computers that use the same OS.
* The organisation does not own or control the machines the editors will use the software on.
* The group probably won’t be registered as an organisation in any kind of legal way, they’re just a bunch of people who share an interest, e.g. The Ambridge Book Club, The Borsetshire Birdwatching Society, etc.

Would it be possible for that group to buy one license and ‘transfer’ that single license from one machine to another as the editing position moves to different people and different machines? Or would each new editor need to purchase a new license?

I understand that people have to buy a new license if they need to use a different OS, and that’s understandable, but I was wondering what would happen in cases like that which I have outlined.

[StevenS]

Hi @GarryP,

To summarise, one licence = one user

It is not possible for a group or a business to purchase one licence and then all use the app simultaneously, but as an example - Ambridge Book Club could purchase a single licence and associate it with an email address unique to the business but not a fixed individual, for example, and Affinity Store account under editor@amridgebookclub.com or an iTunes account.

That licence could then be used by whoever may be the editor at that time, on whichever device appropriate to the OS that the app was purchased for. When that individual steps down they would be required to uninstall the app and hand over the account through which it was purchased to the new editor.

[GarryP]

Thanks for the clarification StevenS.
That sounds like something which could be great for small groups and an incentive for them to use the Affinity range as opposed to other software.
I imagine that there could be lots of small neighbourhood/charity groups that need to do this sort of thing but are worried about licensing/costs and therefore don’t buy any software just in case.
Serif may be missing a small trick by not making this more well known, or maybe the process could be horribly abused, I’ve not thought about it too much.
Anyway, I’ll pass this on to Lynda at the Ambridge Book Club, I’m sure she’ll be interested (non-Archers-listeners won’t know what this means).