[Info-vax] VSI Subscription Licensing Response Letter

[Simon Clubley]

On 2021-05-26, Arne Vajhøj <arne at vajhoej.dk> wrote:
> On 5/26/2021 2:54 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
>> 
>> If the vendor is willing to sell a new support contract at a reasonable
>> price increase but the customer says no, the escrow becomes invalid
>> and cannot be used.
>> 
>> If the vendor is only willing to sell a new support contract at an
>> extreme markup then the escrow triggers (provided the escrow agreement
>> was written to handle this).
>
> There are no escrow contracts that works that way.
>

I disagree. That is a natural thing for any customer to worry about.

If this isn't addressed, then what is to stop any successor organisation
to VSI demanding a 500% increase in the annual licence fee in order for
the customer to continue receiving licences ?

They know the customer would have to pay the fee or the customer could
go bust. Any reasonable customer is going to want to make sure they do
not find themselves in this position.

>
> Try to turn it around. What if VSI wanted customers that buys a
> license for X for N years to deposit a huge sum of money that
> would go to VSI if the customer did not want to buy a new
> license period. Totally crazy right. But the other way around
> is just as crazy.
>

Not the same. VSI wants the customer's money and so the customer
gets to decide the terms under which they are willing to hand over
money to VSI in return for VSI's products.

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Walking destinations on a map are further away than they appear.