In regards to my questions to IPS, this is an email response back from the head sales department:
QUOTE
1) Q: Are you still offering Invision Power Board trial version?
A: No, we no longer provide a free trial version of IPB other than our
limited Live Demo.
2) Q: Where and how would a person go about obtaining this trial
version?
A: No longer provided. See A1.
3) Q: How would you classify past trial versions--legal or illegal?
A: If you downloaded the trial version prior to IPS halting it's
release it is legal to use on a trial basis. In the event that you decide to
use the software full time, therfore no longer being a trial, you are
required to purchase a full license.
If the software was downloaded from a source other then IPS it is
illegal to install and use.
The original trial had limits of a certain number of posts or members
etc. Unfortunately, I do not remember what those limits were but I would
say that someone who has been using the "Trial" version for more than a
few months is someone who intends to use it on a permanent basis and
should therefore purchase a license for use. 4) Q: If a person obtained a trial version through Invision Power
Board's website and has it, can that person still use it today?
See my previous answer. Any trial versions used on a permanent basis
should be licensed.
5: Q: Search engines are showing places that can download past trial
versions, including 2.1.x (which leads to your site). Is this legal?
No it is not. We would urge you and thank you in advance to report any
such sites here:
http://www.invisionpower.com/piracytracker/piracy.phpRegards,
Debbie Ruff
IPS Customer Relations
Peterborough, UK
Invision Power Services, Inc.
The question comes down to the underlined part of the answer: is it still legal to use a trial version if I downloaded from IPS directly back in the days? The official answer is YES. However, the answer continues to say that if you had it for few months you should purchase a license. This means that it wasn't meant for to be used after the trial period or the limitation has reached.
So what defines a trial period? Is it from the day you downloaded, let's say May 2005 till July 2005? Is it from the time of the installation until the limitation or from the version release date and few months thereafter? The definition I found from the web is a time when an item can be tested but did not specify when the actual time measure begins--the time of obtain and ownership or the time of actual usage. Therefore, I am going with the popular acceptance of "from the time of installation." However, this is with a condition. As the reply from IPS states that if you have it for few months or so, you should purchase it. This will be the only condition which I will not suspend any hosting account with a trial version installed.
But, if OpaQue receives one little comment about your forum's validity at a first sight your hosting will be terminated. I'm not about to lose my hosting and the rest of Trap17 because of another's disregard for the copyright law.
Okay? Everyone happy?

PS. My apologies go out to MaineFishing45 for his inconveniences during this deposition.
Reply