Desktop Use Rights Expanded

Volume customers can now install Microsoft’s desktop applications as many times as they want on each device for which the application is licensed. The change, announced in a new release of product use rights for volume customers, paves the way for wider use of virtual machines (VMs) on desktop computers and will make it much easier for organizations to migrate to new versions by using VMs.

Virtualization Licensing Evolving

Microsoft has been evolving its volume licensing rules to incorporate VMs since early 2006, but most of the licensing liberalization applied to server applications, such as the decision in 2006 to require licenses only for running instances of server applications, rather than installed instances. (For a broad review of virtualization and applicable licensing, see “Virtualization Licensing Adapts to New Challenges“.)

For many years, Microsoft permitted customers to install a second copy of a desktop application, such as Office, on a portable device and on a network, as long as it was used primarily by the same person to whom the initial desktop license was assigned. In 2006, the company amended that rule to permit installation of that second copy either on a portable device or on a VM running on the licensed device—but not both. Another copy could be installed on a network device, such as a blade PC or Windows Terminal Server, for the use of the primary user of the license.