Features of software licensing for computer clubs
How to do it at the lowest cost and legally correct? To deal with this issue, we turned to Andrey Tolstikov, manager of the Information Security direction of the Forus Group of Companies. Our choice of an expert is not accidental: Forus has been cooperating with Microsoft for more than 10 years and is the Corporation's Gold Partner.
Andrey, hello, in a nutshell, what is licensing and why, in your opinion, has this topic become so popular now?
Licensing, or rather the legalization of software, is the purchase of the necessary information solutions for the implementation of the company's activities. It's no secret that according to Russian law, any company working with software must use licensed programs, in simple terms, it is obliged to buy them. Today, the legal issue of using software is particularly acute, and more and more companies want to be legalized. In turn, Microsoft offers various licensing schemes software products to meet all market needs.
What are the features of computer club licensing schemes?
The licensing scheme for computer salons has its own nuances. First of all, the club must buy the necessary licenses, and secondly, it must sign an agreement with Microsoft to rent the software to individual users who come to play or work on computers. Licenses are purchased according to the usual scheme: at a time or in installments. But the main thing is the signing of the agreement. Many computer shops now simply buy licensed products, believing that this is enough to use the software in the club. This is a common mistake in licensing clubs, because during the checks it turns out that the club does not have the right to rent software to users.
Can you tell me more about the agreement?
It is concluded once and has an unlimited duration. The peculiarity is that the conclusion occurs only on English language. The agreement specifies how many computers and what products the salon has the right to rent. Another condition under this agreement is that the computer salon is obliged to warn the user (in paper or electronic form) that he accepts this software for rent.
But how is this warning implemented in practice?
It's very simple - when you turn on the computer, a web page appears on the monitor, where the user must check the box that he is familiar with and agrees to these conditions, after which he can start working. The fulfillment of this condition takes a few seconds and does not cause inconvenience to users.
Let's get back to the licensing process. What other pitfalls can the owner of a computer salon encounter when licensing?
There are many pitfalls. For example, according to Microsoft policy, you can't rent computers running Windows Home Edition. There are other nuances that the owner of the salon does not always know about. At the same time, the rules and licensing requirements are spelled out either in English or in Russian, and not all clubs can find them on their own. Therefore, it is important to contact a trusted competent software supplier who will not only tell you about all the conditions, but will also take over the signing of the agreement, and the client will only need to sign.
What kind of assistance from Forus can computer salons expect in the licensing process?
To a competent one (smiles - author's note). The quality of our services in this area is confirmed by the Microsoft Licensing Partner certificate. Therefore, we have a well-established scheme for concluding agreements with Microsoft in accordance with all the requirements of the developer's policy, we monitor and take into account all innovations. In our practice, we have significant experience in legalizing software for computer clubs: we have successfully licensed salons in Angarsk, Bratsk and Irkutsk, as well as the well-known network of computer salons Next.
What is your advice to computer shops?
License wisely. Don't look for cheap solutions, look for competent suppliers. Then you will be provided with the conditions under which you can work effectively and reduce the risk of legal sanctions, and your visitors will be able to enjoy all the benefits of licensed versions of programs
Together with a fellow member of the community, we created an article (doesn't get banned for this?) about the actual use of Linux in a gaming club. It should be noted that a friend once used Windows. But there were a lot of problems - both inspectors and expensive special licenses that need to be used in clubs, etc. In the end, he spat, and worked hard to build his club according to his own rules. Specifically, the article was visited by the club's transition to fresh ubuntu.
And so let's go…
The club was ubuntu 7.04 Faithfully, the old woman worked. But alas, progress does not stand still - updates are coming out for browsers, codecs, flash players, etc. Problems with interconnections began (OS then the beginning of 2007).
Tadaamm, ubuntu 10.04 LTS
This assembly was chosen as the basis. There is only one reason - long support. KDE4 terribly squanders the system, so after a short search, ubuntu 10.04 lts trinity was found with kde 3.5 trinity.lv, an insanely “light” axis that does not strain system resources. The first thing that struck me was the download speed. It is clearly faster than 7.04 times 3. If we compare the speed with Windows, then the second one will clearly lose.
The most important thing is why the transition happened ... but everything is in order.
for those who are in the glxgears topic with an active window. if the full screen indicators are about 38000 too lazy to do, I think take my word for it
Games from beeches - offline mode made specially when there is no Internet (sometimes this happens)
office stray - few but I think with my head 
Internet 
some of the games ... the line of gameplay was too lazy to log in, in the process of running it turned out that more than 2 windows did not start. 3rd window crashes with an error. on 7.04 it ran up to 6 windows 
KOD4 multiplayer as you can see everything is good. But in 7.04 it all worked the same way. 
Drumroll! For the sake of which the transition was made. Since in 10.04 the sound worked correctly and in 10.10 it was broken again)))) then miraculously earned a tit la la Valve Cyber Cafe 
best of the best 
The Steam shell itself works great (l4d is folded) if you plant a person, he will think that this is a slightly embellished Windows. 
At the same time, I remind you of the resources ... we launch YouTube ... everything works wonderfully. 
Many thanks to the developers of CCL, this is their blue stray that controls the time in the club.
There were thoughts to freeze the system, but went the proven way and closed all kiosk admin tools
a complete list of Valve Cyber Cafe games that you can put, but I don’t see the point, a lot of slag.
1 18 Wheels of Steel: Extreme Trucker
27 Wonders: Treasures of Seven
3 A Farewell to Dragons
4 Age of Chivalry
5 Alien Shooter
6 Alien Shooter: Revisited
7 Alien Shooter 2: Reloaded
8 Alien Shooter Vengeance
9 AlphaPrime
10 Altitude
11 America's Army 3
12 And Yet It Moves
13 Aquaria
14 Armored Fist 3
15 Arx Fatalis
16AstroPop Deluxe
17 Attack on Pearl Harbor
18 Aztaka
19 Bad Rats: the Rats Revenge
20 Battleships
21 Bejeweled 2 Deluxe
22 Bejeweled Deluxe
23 Ben There, Dan That!
24 Big Money Deluxe
25 BloodRayne
26 BloodRayne 2
27
28 Bookworm Deluxe
29 Chains
30 Chainz 2: Relinked
31 Chaos Theory
32 Chrome
33 Chrome Specforce
34 Chuzzle Deluxe
35 Coconut Queen
36 cogs
37 Commander Keen
38 Counter-Strike
39 Counter-Strike: Condition Zero
40 Counter-Strike: Source
41 Crash Time II
42 Crayon Physics Deluxe
43 Crazy Machines
44 Crazy Machines 1.5
45 Crazy Machines 2 + Addons
46 Crusaders: Thy Kingdom Come
47 D.I.P.R.I.P.
48 Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!
49 Dangerous Waters
50 Darkest Hour
51 Darwinia
52 Day of Defeat
53 Day of Defeat: Source
54 Deathmatch Classic
55 Defcon
56 Defense Alliance 2
57 Delta Force
58 Delta Force 2
59 Disciples II: Galleans Return
60 Disciples II: Rise of the Elves
61 Doom II
62 Doom Rails
63 Dracula Origin
Episode 64
65 Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
66 Drug Wars
67 Ducati World Championship
68 Dynomite Deluxe
69 East India Company
70 East India Company - Battle of Trafalgar
71 East India Company - Pirate Bay
72 East India Company - Privateer
73 Eets
74 Elf Bowling: Hawaiian Vacation
75 Elven Legacy
76 Eternal Silence
77 F-16 Multirole Fighter
78 F-22 Lightning 3
79 Fallout
80 Fallout 2
81 Fallout Tactics
82 Family Feud
83 Family Feud 2
84 Family Feud 3
85 Family Feud 4
86 Fatal
87 Feeding Frenzy 2 Deluxe
88 Fetch It Again
89 Final Doom
90 Fish Tycoons
91 Flat Out 2
92 Garry's Mod
93 Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
94 Ghost Master
95
96 Gothic 3
97 Greed Black Border
98 Gumboy - Crazy Adventures
99 Gumboy Tournament
100 Half Life 1
101 Half-Life 1: Source
102 Half Life 2
103 Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
104 Half-Life 2: Episode One
105 Half-Life 2: Episode Two
106 Half Life 2: Lost Coast
107 Half-Life Deathmatch: Source
108 Half Life: Blue Shift
109 Hammer Heads Deluxe
110 Hammerfight
111 Harvest: Massive Encounter
112 Hearts of Iron 2: Complete
113 Heavy Weapon Deluxe
114 Helldorado
115 Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders
116 HeXen
117 Hexen 2
118 HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel
119 Hunting Unlimited 2010
120 Iggle Pop Deluxe
121 Imperium Romanum: Gold Edition
122 Insaniquarium Deluxe
123 Insurgency
124 Iron Warriors: T - 72 Tank Command
125 Itza Bitza
126 Jewel Quest
127 Jewel Quest 2
128 Jewel Quest 3
129 Jewel Quest Mysteries
130 Joint Task Force
131 JoJo's Fashion Show
132 JoJo's Fashion Show 2
133 Killing Floor
134 King Arthur - The Role Playing Wargame
135 King Arthur: Knights and Vassals DLC
136 King Arthur: Legendary Artifacts DLC
137 Kingpin
138 King's Bounty - The Legend
139 Knights of Honor
140 Larva Mortus
141 Lead & Gold - Ganges of the Wild West
142 Left 4 Dead
143 Left 4 Dead 2
144 Legend: Hand of God
145
146 Luxor
147 Luxor 2
148 Luxor 3
149 Luxor Amun Rising
150 LUXOR: Mah Jong
151 Machinarium
152 Madballs in… Babo:Invasion
153 MahJong Quest
154 MahJong Quest 2
155 MahJong Quest 3
156 Majesty: Gold Edition
157 Making History: The Calm & the Storm
158 Mare Nostrum
159 Massive Assault
160 Massive Assault: Phantom Renaissance
161 Mata Hari
162 Mayhem Intergalactic
163 Men of War: Red Tide
164 Metal Drift
165 Mevo and The Grooveriders
166 MiG-29 Fulcrum
167 Miss Popularity
168 Mission Runway
169 Multiwinia
170 Music Box
171 Mystery P.I.
172 Nikopol Secrets of the Immortals
173 Numen: Contest of Heroes
174 Obulis
175 Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
176 Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee
177 Pacific Storm
178 Pacific Storm Allies
179 Painkiller Gold Edition
180 Painkiller: Overdose
181 Painkiller: Resurrection
182 Paws and Claws: Pampered Pets
183 Paws and Claws: Pet School
184 Peggle Deluxe
185 Penguins Arena
186 Penumbra: Black Plague
187 Penumbra: Overture
188 Penumbra: Requiem
189 Pizza Frenzy
190 Plant Tycoon
191 Poker Superstars II
192 Portal
193 Pro Cycling Manager 2008
194 Project Aftermath
195 Psychonauts
196 Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
197
198 QUAKE II
199 QUAKE II Mission Pack: Ground Zero
200 QUAKE II Mission Pack: The Reckoning
201 QUAKE Mission Pack 1: Scourge of Armagon
202 QUAKE Mission Pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity
203 RACE 07
204 Raycatcher
205 Reaxxion
206 Red Orchestra
207 Ride! carnival tycoon
208 RIP
209 RIP 2 Strike Back
210 RIP 3 The Last Hero
211 Risk
212 Risk II
213 Rocket Mania Deluxe
214 Runaway, A Road Adventure
215 Runaway, The Dream of The Turtle
216 Sacrifice
217 Safecracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure
218 Samorost2
219
220 Shadowgrounds: Survivor
221 Shattered Horizon
222 Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis
223 Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened
224 Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of The Mummy
225 Sherlock Holmes: The Secret of the Silver Earring
226 Space Empires V
227 Space Giraffe
228 Space Trader
229 Space Force Rogue Universe
230 Spear of Destiny
231 Spectraball
232 Sprint Cars Road to Knoxville (Sprint Cars 2007)
233 Streets of Moscow
234 Synergy
235 Tachyon: The Fringe
236 Take Command - Second Manassas
237 Talismania Deluxe
238 Team Fortress 2
239 Texas Cheat'em
240 The Graveyard
241 The Longest Journey
242 The office
243 The Path
244 The Ship
245 The Whispered World
246 Time Gentlemen, Please!
247 Trackmania Nations Forever
248 Trine
249 Typer Shark Deluxe
250 UFO: Afterlight
251 Ultimate DOOM
252 Uplink
253 Vegas Make It Big
254 Vigil - Blood Bitterness
255 Virtual Families
256 Virtual Villagers: A New Home
257 Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children
258 Virtual Villagers: The Secret City
259 Windosill
260 Wolfenstein 3D
261 World Of Goo
262X2: The Threat
263 X3: Reunion
264 Yumsters 2: Around the World
265 Zen of Sudoku
266 Zero Gear
267 Zombie Driver
268 Zombie Panic! Source
269 Zombie Shooter
270 Zombie Shooter 2
271 Zuma Deluxe
That's all in a nutshell.
Eugene RNDLUG
| Licensing for computer clubs
Licensing for organizations that rent PCs
Typically, Microsoft's standard license agreements prohibit lending, leasing, or leasing software. Therefore, for organizations whose business is to rent computers with Microsoft software, a special licensing scheme is offered.
Which organizations can purchase licenses under this scheme
- Equipment rental companies
- Business service centers (for example, copying and printing)
- Internet cafes and computer clubs.
- Internet kiosks in hotels and airports
- Public organizations providing computers for public access
Not covered by this program: libraries, educational organizations, domestic use (community PCs), traditional financing.
How the PC Rental Licensing Scheme Works
- The organization purchases software that will be rented along with computers.
- In addition to the software licenses (for each rental product license), you must purchase the appropriate licenses to allow you to rent the software: Rental Rights for Windows 7 Professional, Office Standard/Professional Plus 2007/2010. Rental Rights licenses are supplied under the Open License program.
Program features
- Rental Rights licenses are additional licenses that allow you to rent Microsoft software and cannot be used standalone without the corresponding software.
- To confirm legality, organizations must present documents confirming the availability of licenses for products and licenses for Rental Rights.
- The Rental Rights license is permanently assigned to a specific computer and cannot be transferred to another PC. When purchasing a replacement PC, you must purchase new Rental Rights licenses for the products installed on it.
- Network use or remote access to the software is not permitted.
- Permission is granted to use a previous version of the software, provided such right is granted by the license agreement for the respective product.
- Use of an additional copy of the Software on a portable computer or network device is not permitted.
- The Software may not be used on a virtual hardware system (or otherwise emulated). In other words, you are not allowed to create and rent virtual machines.
For organizations that provide Microsoft solutions in hosting mode - telecommunications companies, telecom operators, Internet providers, service providers, etc., there is a separate Service Provider License Agreement (SPLA) program
The explosive growth of the VR industry over the past 16 months has been accompanied by an equally rapid growth in the number of virtual reality clubs and attractions. Their format is painfully reminiscent of computer clubs that were popular a couple of decades ago. If you decide to open a virtual reality club, this article is for you. I will talk about the intricacies of the game licensing business.
Game Developers! This article will be useful for you too!
What is the best way to manage game content in a club, or even better, get someone to do it for you?
Pay attention to specialized operating platforms - in essence, these are game libraries, where you can choose games for your visitors. The sites themselves process all information about licensing and payment. The amount of payments is set by the game developers. Platforms reduce your overhead costs, settle legal subtleties, minimize paperwork - in general, they save both parties from unnecessary headaches.
While Springboard is aimed exclusively at commercial use in VR clubs, Steam and Viveport are primarily aimed at home use for private purposes!
In terms of pricing, their fundamental differences lie in the approach to paying royalties to game developers:
- Steam sells a monthly license
- Viveport Arcade sells hourly game time
- SpringboardVR provides per-minute billing for the game
The purchase of the user version of the game does not imply its commercial use. For a commercial license, you will need permission from the game developers.
Let us dwell in more detail on the principles of licensing. You definitely need to know everything about that issue until you plunge into the virtual world.
If after reading the article you still have questions - write to the blog and I will try to answer them.
Licensing
If you already have a game in mind that you would like to add to your Steam library, do not immediately buy a custom version and offer it to club members. This is contrary to the User Agreement. The penalty for violation may be the complete blocking of your account.
Getting permission
If you want to use the game for commercial purposes, you need to contact the developer and clarify the license rules or buy a commercial license for the same SpringboardVR, Viveport Arcade and Steam (if any).
So, if you want to get a license for commercial use of the game directly or it is simply not publicly available - you can contact the developers through social networks or email. Do your best to get in touch - if there is no answer - this game not worth using.
If the developer is “contacted”, you need to obtain permission to commercially use their product. Most suitable way– offer the developer to sign a license agreement. It is essentially a legal document that grants you certain rights to a product in exchange for a monetary fee. By the way, many developers do not have draft license agreements, so be prepared to offer your version, it will most likely be accepted. Your own version of the license agreement will definitely give you an advantage in negotiations.
An important advantage of personal communication with developers is the ability to adapt the game for the gaming club.
This version will be more convenient for guests and will take into account the peculiarities of operation for commercial purposes.
Game Developers! Make sure your Steam page, in-game, social networks your contacts are indicated, they will want to contact you! Also, check Steam, SpringboardVR, or Viveport to see if your game is available and has a commercial license.
Operating platforms such asSpringboardVR, which have appeared in the last few months, are an alternative solution.
They themselves contact game developers, establish license agreements with them, and then relay these conditions to the owners of virtual reality clubs, including games in a special game library.
In addition, these sites allow you to book stations and games, track game time, notify how much you need to pay the developer, manage payments!
Technically, the operating platforms Steam and Viveport also offer commercial licensing options, but unlike the others, these platforms are aimed at home use.
Operating platforms use different methods of calculating license fees
For example, the calculation for SpringboardVR will be carried out according to system Pay – Per – Minute – Per – month ( PPMPM ) and look like this: the operating platform keeps track of the amount of time in the game and combines the data with license agreement documents. So, for example, if a game was played for 1,000 minutes on all VR club devices in a whole month, and its cost was $0.04 per minute, then the club would pay the developer $40 at the end of the month.
License forSteam
Paid differently. Commercially licensed games are available through Steam Commercial Licensing. See example below.
Above is a regular user license for $7.99, which is a one-time fee for home use. Below is the commercial license for $14.99, which is the monthly fee for each game station for commercial use.
Important!!! A commercial license is for 1 station, if there are 2 stations in the virtual reality club, then you need to buy 2 licenses.
As a tip, don't ask game developers to help you keep track of hours and minutes in a game from your Steam account. In response, you will receive nothing but irritation. Game developers think it's their job to make games, not run clubs. For such tasks, there are specialized operating platforms. Also, many developers don't like the idea of per-minute or hourly billing at all, as they find it less commercially viable.
Although using a license through operating systems or Steam does not involve direct communication with game developers, a short letter to the developer from the owner of the virtual reality club that he is using his license is considered good form.
Lifetime licenses.
Any developer who receives emails requesting lifetime licenses immediately sends them to the trash with no response.
Such letters make you greedy and stupid in the eyes of the developers.
Whether you like it or not, contact with game developers should not be lost. It's in your best interest. Report any customer feedback or how well the game works.
Game developers love to hear things like this. If you want to fix a problem, don't be silent, and the developers will quickly fix everything.
Conclusion
- If you are planning to open a virtual reality club, then remember that you will need to pay the developers of the games you use.
- If you cannot contact the developer or buy a commercial license on the operating platform, do not use this game.
- Do not use your user account on Steam for commercial purposes, this is contrary to the User Agreement and penalties or restrictive measures may be imposed on your account.
If you have questions you can write them in a blog or email.
Virtual reality clubs are a business for entertainment and recreation. Stay up to date, do not create problems for yourself!
