Is it possible to sell my Trados license?
Thread poster: Irina Gray (X)
Irina Gray (X)
Irina Gray (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
English to Russian
+ ...
Sep 13, 2011

Hi everyone,

I am thinking of selling my SDL Trados 2009 license. I got in touch with the company and they said the license is my own property and cannot trade or re-sell it.

Well, if it is my property surely I should be able to sell it if I want?

I have just made a post in the Exchange and and ProZ.com staff approved it. So I assume it is possible to do it?

I'll appreciate any suggestions with this.

If that is not an option,
... See more
Hi everyone,

I am thinking of selling my SDL Trados 2009 license. I got in touch with the company and they said the license is my own property and cannot trade or re-sell it.

Well, if it is my property surely I should be able to sell it if I want?

I have just made a post in the Exchange and and ProZ.com staff approved it. So I assume it is possible to do it?

I'll appreciate any suggestions with this.

If that is not an option, that's fine. I just thought I'd clarify it.

Thanks!

Irina
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Natalie
Natalie  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 02:52
Member (2002)
English to Russian
+ ...

Moderator of this forum
SITE LOCALIZER
Hi Irina Sep 13, 2011

Irina Gray wrote:
I have just made a post in the Exchange and and ProZ.com staff approved it. So I assume it is possible to do it?


You are a paid member, and your profile is VIDed, so your forum postings do not require vetting. Therefore nobody has vetted your post, and you yourself are fully responsible for it's content.

If SDL has answered you that the license cannot be transferred, your exchange forum offer does not seem to be legitimate.

Natalia


 
Irina Gray (X)
Irina Gray (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
English to Russian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Sep 13, 2011

Natalie wrote:

Irina Gray wrote:
I have just made a post in the Exchange and and ProZ.com staff approved it. So I assume it is possible to do it?


You are a paid member, and your profile is VIDed, so your forum postings do not require vetting. Therefore nobody has vetted your post, and you yourself are fully responsible for it's content.

If SDL has answered you that the license cannot be transferred, your exchange forum offer does not seem to be legitimate.

Natalia


Thank you, Natalia.

That clarifies everything.

Thanks again,
Irina


 
Jacky Zhu
Jacky Zhu
China
Local time: 09:52
English to Chinese
LOCKed Sep 13, 2011

the license may be locked to your PC and account in SDL.
i don't know it clearly.


 
FarkasAndras
FarkasAndras  Identity Verified
Local time: 02:52
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Who knows? Sep 13, 2011

Software companies tell you that selling sw licenses is not allowed. Of course they do, it's in their economic interest to say so. They put this in their EULA (end user license agreement); I'm sure it's in the Trados EULA, which you accept by buying the product. However, I suspect that this limitation may be illegal and thus void in some countries. It would be interesting to get a lawyer's opinion or read up on some test cases that ended up in court.

30 seconds of research shows tha
... See more
Software companies tell you that selling sw licenses is not allowed. Of course they do, it's in their economic interest to say so. They put this in their EULA (end user license agreement); I'm sure it's in the Trados EULA, which you accept by buying the product. However, I suspect that this limitation may be illegal and thus void in some countries. It would be interesting to get a lawyer's opinion or read up on some test cases that ended up in court.

30 seconds of research shows that as far as I can tell, in the US for instance, you have every right to trade or sell your copy of Trados, whatever SDL may say about the matter:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-sale_doctrine#Computer_software
I don't know about other jurisdictions.
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Marc Rizkallah
Marc Rizkallah  Identity Verified
Austria
Local time: 02:52
Member (2010)
English to French
+ ...
It's certainly possible for MemoQ Sep 13, 2011

I don't see what the big deal is about transferring licenses. This is expensive software and in my opinion, there's no reason a "used" license couldn't be transferred to another user for a cheaper price if it's no longer used, like any other product. I know when I started as a translator, I was looking for a used license "marketplace" where users could buy/sell licenses. In the end though, you need to have the company's support, because they control the licenses and would need to transfer the... See more
I don't see what the big deal is about transferring licenses. This is expensive software and in my opinion, there's no reason a "used" license couldn't be transferred to another user for a cheaper price if it's no longer used, like any other product. I know when I started as a translator, I was looking for a used license "marketplace" where users could buy/sell licenses. In the end though, you need to have the company's support, because they control the licenses and would need to transfer the user's information. Especially if you need support from the company (a major use of the license.)

If it is illegal, as per FarkasAndras' post, it would be interesting to take them up on it - but that's a whole other battle and I'm far from being a legal expert.

For what it's worth, I managed to successfully buy a "used" MemoQ licence. Here's what MemoQ support had to say:
"We don't restrict the re-sale of memoQ, but it's a bit trickier than buying a new license, because if the old user keeps the serial number and memoQ, he/she can restrict you in your use of memoQ. Also, in this case the owner of the license needs to report the change to us and there is a re-registration fee of 20 euros or equivalent. So far I only know of two people who sold their licenses because they stopped being a translator."

So - it is a bit tricky - but certainly possible.

I'm sorry I know that doesn't help you much with SDL but maybe it can give you some leverage when talking to them about it. Incidentally, the same person who sold me the MemoQ licence was offering a used SDL license - so I'm quite curious what would have happened if I'd taken him up on the offer...!

Good luck,
Marc
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Irina Gray (X)
Irina Gray (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
English to Russian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks for all the comments Sep 13, 2011

Hi everyone,

Thanks a lot for your comments - they have certainly given me some more ideas about selling software in the future.

Since the company so clearly indicated that they don't allow the transfer of licenses, I am not going to take it further than that. I am certainly not going to fight with anyone over this.

But, yes I think it should be technically possible to be able to do this.
... See more
Hi everyone,

Thanks a lot for your comments - they have certainly given me some more ideas about selling software in the future.

Since the company so clearly indicated that they don't allow the transfer of licenses, I am not going to take it further than that. I am certainly not going to fight with anyone over this.

But, yes I think it should be technically possible to be able to do this. For example, if the license is assigned to my computer then why not making it possible to unlock it and install it on someone else's computer? I wouldn't mind paying any transfer fees to the company/ But I suppose it's a hassle for them and they don't want to deal with that, fair enough.

Anyway, thanks very much for trying to help!

Irina
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FarkasAndras
FarkasAndras  Identity Verified
Local time: 02:52
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Moving over to another computer Sep 13, 2011

Irina Gray wrote:

But, yes I think it should be technically possible to be able to do this. For example, if the license is assigned to my computer then why not making it possible to unlock it and install it on someone else's computer?

It is technically possible. You just return your license, install Trados on the other computer and activate the license on that one. I don't think SDL would ever investigate whether that other computer is yours or not. The only technical hurdle is that your account is registered at SDL with your name and email address, so if the new owner ever wanted to get assistance for solving a technical problem or buy an upgrade etc, they would be in a bit of a pickle. Other than that, the sotware itself should work, I believe. Again, whether you would be legally in the clear depends on the legislation in your country or the country where you bought Trados or where the new user is...
You could try to look up the laws in your country and if they appear favourable to the consumer, write to SDL support, cite the law and request them to move your account over to the eventual buyer's name & email. Maybe you'll get lucky and your email will be read by a reasonable person. It doesn't cost anything to try.


 
KureMe
KureMe  Identity Verified
Local time: 19:52
English to Spanish
+ ...
about the transaction May 4, 2021

I guess the issue here is how to carry out the transaction - do you get a deposit first and then you disclose the number. But you already know the number, so you will have access even if you sold it to somebody else. It´s a tricky one.

 
Laurent Di Raimondo
Laurent Di Raimondo  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 02:52
English to French
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SITE LOCALIZER
Technically possible, but legally speaking: the answer is no. May 6, 2021

Although it's technically possible to sell your owner licence of this CAT Tool (or any other software licence as well), you are not allowed - legally speaking - to do that for two main reasons:

First, by purchasing a licence, you only buy all rights and full access to USE the regarding software. But the licence is still covered and garanteed by copyrights and intellectual property which protect its author, whose legal rights are reserved by law in any way.

Second, by p
... See more
Although it's technically possible to sell your owner licence of this CAT Tool (or any other software licence as well), you are not allowed - legally speaking - to do that for two main reasons:

First, by purchasing a licence, you only buy all rights and full access to USE the regarding software. But the licence is still covered and garanteed by copyrights and intellectual property which protect its author, whose legal rights are reserved by law in any way.

Second, by purchasing any licence, you are supposed to approve all terms & conditions of the licence, by which you shall recognize and respect all author's rights and you commit yourself TO NOT SELL the licence to anyone.

IMHO, I think the game isn't worth the candle but to run the risk of a legal action, even though I can understand you want to get rid of this cr*p...



[Modifié le 2021-05-06 19:37 GMT]
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Rachel Waddington
 
jyuan_us
jyuan_us  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 21:52
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
+ ...
Who will take a legal action? May 6, 2021

Laurent DI RAIMONDO wrote:

IMHO, I think the game isn't worth the candle but to run the risk of a legal action, even though I can understand you want to get rid of this cr*p...



[Modifié le 2021-05-06 19:37 GMT]


If you sell it for less than $200, who will take a legal action against you?

With that being said, even if it is technically possible to sell it, is it worth the hassle? You will need to find a buyer, and after the transaction, you may find it hard to get rid of the idea that you might have done something wrong.


 
Konrad Jaworski
Konrad Jaworski  Identity Verified
Bulgaria
Local time: 03:52
English to Polish
+ ...
RWS is OK with that. Jul 21, 2022

I found a topic on the Trados community forum, and the staff member answered it's not violating anything, and they are OK with that. There is no "official" way to sell used accounts, but if you find someone you trust, go ahead. They will help you change personal data associated with the license to t... See more
I found a topic on the Trados community forum, and the staff member answered it's not violating anything, and they are OK with that. There is no "official" way to sell used accounts, but if you find someone you trust, go ahead. They will help you change personal data associated with the license to the new owner's.

https://community.rws.com/product-groups/trados-portfolio/trados-studio/f/studio/40876/i-m-retiring-and-would-like-to-sell-my-trados-studio-2021
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Is it possible to sell my Trados license?







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