Ok, I'm new to the whole 3D scene and have a few questions. Mainly, a friend of mine online has a bunch of stuff he's not using anymore. Old files like Victoria 1 and such. He said he'd give them to me because he's not using them...is that ok for him to just give them to me. I'd love to have more to play with. (To be honest, the stuff I am using is already my fiancees stuff, but we live together) So can I take the stuff that my friend isn't using any more or should I just wait to get it when I can buy it?

I'm not 100% positive but if your friend gives you all of the program and the certs that go with it then you should be the new legal owner. I believe that you can resell software or give it away you just can't copy it and distribute it.

I had a friend that gave up playing with Poser a while ago and he gave me all his stuff, what made me ask the same question as you. I was told it was ok, as long as my friend delete the files from his own computer, so I was the only user. Concerning using your fiancess stuff...well, thats more tricky...hope somebody else can say something about that part, because I cant. Btw welcome to this forum. Thats THE place to ask all the Poser-qustions. Help is NEVER far away :-) Sky :-)

That's one of the things I was worried about...but since it's on his computer and I just play with it (for fun, not like what I do, I'm going to school for criminal psych) He's Mr. Big Shot Creativity Pouring Out His Ears in Bucketfuls LOL And that's what my friend said. Because he's got newer versions of stuff that he didn't need the old ones anymore and figured someone should be able to use them, even if just for shits and giggles. But reading through the previous posts here about warez and illegal stuff it kinda had me worried. The last thing I need is to be sued for something. (I have enough troubles with the wedding coming up and a baby on the way!) Don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to have some of the stuff available, I just wish it didn't cost so darned much! (Poor blokes like myself just have to make due I suppose) But I never thought that we could get in trouble for me playing with Trey's stuff...

Think of buying software as like buying a book from a bookshop. You may freely give, or lend your copy of that book to anyone you choose. This is not a problem to the publisher because: 1> You are not profiting from it and depriving the publisher of his/her fair share 2> While the other person has that book, YOU DO NOT You may not COPY that book and either give, lend or sell that copy to anyone while your original still exists. That would be depriving the publisher of a legitimate sale and if you sold it, that would be the theft (you would have stolen their property, sold it, and kept the money for yourself) If legal software exists on one computer, any number of people can use that computer and all the software on it perfectly legally, because there is only one copy, an only one person can use it at a time, like the book. If you have some kind of network so that more than one person at a time is using the software, then you need to buy another copy or a multi-user license. If you copy the software for use on another computer so that both copies may be used at the same time, that too is forbidden. Best way to figure it out is to imagine that you are the vendor ok? How would you feel about it if people took your hard work, sold it as their own and took the money, or just gave it away without asking you? So you cannot get into trouble for playng with your boyfriend's software on your boyfriend's computer, er unless of course he doesn't want you too.... regards peejay

Ok, that makes a lot of sense. We don't have a network yet, but I'm thinking of getting a computer soon to help with school. (He's a computer hog when he's home and I can't type up papers on time LOL) There's just a lot about it that confuses me, because so much can get you into trouble with software stuff now-a-days. I didn't know until recently that if I owned something and had both a desktop computer and a laptop, I couldn't (or shouldn't) have it on both computers at the same time, eventhough, no one would be using one of the computers (like away for business or whatnot) And to me that's silly that I have to buy 2 copies of the same thing if it's my computers (but I suppose I can see where vendors are coming from) THe only reason I knew about that was Trey had some issues having a few programs on both his laptop and his home computer, eventhough the laptop isn't used at all unless he's away from home.

Drop DAZ a mail and explain what you want to do they'll then explain back what you can or can't do.....in cases like this its best getting it from the horses mouth :o)....Steve

not a lawyer here, but if HE gives his things away and not delete it after that, than it's HE who is making himself guilty, not you...

OK, I think we need to have some common sense here. Neither DAZ or anyone else has the right to tell your friend he can't give you his Poser stuff. If he doesn't need or want it, he can burn it or make paper mache dolls with it if he wants. Last I checked most licenses still allowed people to have a copy of their programs on two computers, as long as it was only being used on one computer at a time. That is only common sense. If a business man travels all around the country, he uses a laptop. When he's at the office, he might use a desktop computer. So big deal. Why should that person be required to buy two copies of everything? To be honest, I think each software company has their own ideas of what they consider to be a license agreement. When you install the software, you have only two choices. 1.) Agree 2.) Disagree, and don't use the software. (Of course if you opened it, you likely can't return it.) If I spend good money on software, I am not about to spen 10 minutes to an hour reading someone's long-winded license agreement. I'm not about to pay a lawyer to interpret when people can learn to speak plain English. Some companies, such as Microsoft, are not ticking off lots of customers with their activation scheme which will keep you from having Windows XP, and any XP product on two computers at once. Of course, they're only penalizing "the little guys" like us who can't afford to buy two copies of everything. Microsoft sarcastically offers us $10 off the price of the second copy of Windows XP. Thanks guys. As for networks, some software just won't work in a network mode. Or if it does, it is tricky. We have two computers networked at home. One has Windows XP, and the other has Windows ME. There are all sorts of quirky little things going on. Each of us has our own software installed on our own computers. We did have one program, Daytimer 98, that had network capabilities.. and we setup that way. But my wife changed her mind, so we killed that idea.

There is a boy who lives in my building
whos single mom waits tables for a living
one day my oldest son showed him bryce version3
that i installed on our old PC from the free copy given away inthe
3D world magazine cover CD.
He became mesmerized nad depressed that he would never afford such software for his computer that his mom worked so hard to buy him.
i had long since upgraded MY production MAC from the metacreations dual platform version of bryce4 to corels bryce5.

this kid would come knock at my door nad ask my wife if i were doing
any 3D stuff so he could sit and watch..

it occured to me that i never registerd my copy of bryce 4
and i had deleted it to save HD space when i got the full version of bryce5

so i dusted off the original box got the manual
and dual platform install and extra content cd and gave it to the kids mom.

if i breached some liscense agreement so be it
the look on this womans face was worth it.

Wolf359: You most definately brought sunshine into the lives of three people, including yourself. Thanks for sharing that story.

Thanks from me too :o).......hey if he wants Poser 3 i still got my magazine copy if he wants it, just IM or email me :o).........Steve

Ok, so basic run down here, if my friend wants to give me the stuff, provided he gets rid of it, it's ok and I shouldn't worry about running stuff on both computers (once I get my own) because they're in the same house. I completely agree with having to buy multiple copies of software for the same household. It's expensive enough and with a wedding and baby frivelous expenses are just not in the works for quite a while. Wolf, I can only imagine how your kids friend felt when you gave him Bryce :) I've seen stuff that can be done with it, but don't want to download the demo cos I think I'll like it too much and want it LOL It's too bad more companies don't offer educational software, Microsoft does, surprisingly. I spent a whole 25 dollars on my Office 2000 copy (yes, it's complete just no manuals or boxes or stuff) and they have the Office XP for 35 if I buy it through school) But none of the cool stuff. Trey actually got Poser 4 from his college that cut back the number of labs it was in to save hard drive space. But even programs like Photoshop that he can get from school aren't that much of a deal. Just an idea, for graphic students, educational software is a great thing, they don't need the fancy stuff, but even better deals on the older versions would be nice.

No Goth you need to contact DAZ, this is in there license 1. 3-D MODEL LICENSE. DAZ 3D grants to User and User hereby accepts, subject to the limitations and obligations of this Agreement, a personal non-exclusive, non-transferable License to use the 3-D Model(s), together with all accompanying written materials, images, and other data files (collectively referred to as "3-D Model(s)"). I would guess that if you do they'll sort how to do the transfer they are good guys ;o)......Steve

Ok, that's what I'll do... :) thanx guys