Microsoft Office 2013: Microsoft Office 2013 Licensing Update

Microsoft Office 2013: A couple weeks back, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) made the mistake of informing customers who purchased Office Home and Student 2013, Office Home and Business 2013, Office Professional 2013 suites, or any of the standalone Office 2013 applications that the license was non-transferable.

Microsoft is one of the hedge fund industry’s most popular stock picks, and it’s always important to pay attention to the smart money (see just why here).

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)As you can imagine, this resulted in quite a few angry customers. Fortunately, Microsoft is one of few companies that actually listen to consumers and attempt to make changes as a result.

The company has decided to allow consumers to  move the software from one computer to another once every three months. This is not something that people are likely to do, but there are cases in which it is necessary. For example, if your computer is stolen or you need to upgrade to a new unit, you would expect to be able to transfer your license to the new machine.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) talked about this on its official Office News blog: Office 2013 now transferable

While the entire post is worth reading, here is the information that you really need to know:

“Can I transfer the software to another computer or user? You may transfer the software to another computer that belongs to you, but not more than one time every 90 days (except due to hardware failure, in which case you may transfer sooner). If you transfer the software to another computer, that other computer becomes the “licensed computer.” You may also transfer the software (together with the license) to a computer owned by someone else if a) you are the first licensed user of the software and b) the new user agrees to the terms of this agreement before the transfer. Any time you transfer the software to a new computer, you must remove the software from the prior computer and you may not retain any copies.“

For the sake of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and the millions of people who are using Office 2013, it is nice to see this update to the Retail License Terms of the Software License Agreement. Had the company left the terms the way they were, there would have been even more trouble.

Check back here for more updates on Microsoft Office 2013.

DISCLOSURE: I have no positions in any stock mentioned.

For more news stories, visit the following pages:

Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places

Surface Pro is Sold Out? Really?

Surface Pro Dazzles