Microsoft Office 2013 License Revised After Consumer Criticism: Now Allows Transfer After Computer Crash or Upgrade

After a hue and cry from consumers, the Microsoft Office 2013 licensing policy has been amended to allow the software to be transferred to a different computer owned by the same user.

Yes, previous to the change, users couldn't reinstall their copy of Office 2013 on a new computer if their old one died or if they bought a new computer and scrapped the old one. The software was tied to a particular computer, not a particular purchaser.

"Based on customer feedback we have changed the Office 2013 retail license agreement to allow customers to transfer the software from one computer to another. This means customers can transfer Office 2013 to a different computer if their device fails or they get a new one. Previously, customers could only transfer their Office 2013 software to a new device if their PC failed under warranty," Jevon Fark wrote on the Microsoft Office blog.

While it's nice this is happening, it shouldn't have been an issue in the first place. The nontransferability problem only affected Office 2013 users, not people who paid for the subscription-only Office 365 version, which allows installation on up to five computers at the same time.

Speculation was rampant that the draconian licensing policy was a ploy to drive consumers to the more lucrative Office 365 subscription model. That costs $100 a year, and the programs stop working if you stop paying.

ZDNet notes this isn't the first time Microsoft has tried restricting software transfers between computers owned by the same user.

"Microsoft tried a similar tactic with Windows Vista in October 2006. The original license agreement imposed a new limit of one transfer on retail copies of Windows," Ed Bott writes.

"At the time, I called it 'a sneaky change in Windows licensing terms.' After a similar outcry from Microsoft customers (a Microsoft executive acknowledged having received 'lots of e-mail and other feedback' on this issue), Microsoft rolled back the changes and restored the original license terms less than a month later."