[gsamsa]

Few months ago, we had a fine example of blackmailing by ANSYS. Apparently, someone in our department was using illegal ANSYS licenses. The ANSYS representative produced a list of such instances with IP and MAC addresses, and usernames. The investigation led us to our graduate student, who left the school in the meantime. As his computer was connected to the school VPN, his actions became the department's responsibility.

ANSYS threatened us with a legal action unless the department pays up. My complaints that their license tracking algorithm should be reporting any infringement in the real-time to the user or the account holder instead of waiting months were rebuffed.

In the end, the school settled with ANSYS. Nevertheless, I refused to sign the confidentiality agreement. Since then we purged any ANSYS software from the department's computer system. We also changed the CFD and FE practicals for students.

So far, two of my academic colleagues have also come forward with a similar admission that ANSYS have been muscling them for the use of illegal licenses. Please let me know if you had a similar experience.

[gsamsa]

In the last three days I got additional 5 messages. Please share and let me know if you had similar experience. My private email is gsamsa007@yahoo.com

[evcelica]

See Next Post....

[Martin_Sz]

its very interesting . Couple Years ago we have similar situatuion in Our company. But these warnings form ansys ended when we buy full commercial version of cfd and structural modules - price about 85 k euros

[gsamsa]

ANSYS is complicit if not directly conspiratorial in inducing such situations. I spoke with people working in the testing department of ANSYS and there is no technical barrier preventing ANSYS to make their licenses uncrackable.
The only reason for their weak security is that ANSYS makes money from the situation. They also pointed out that ANSYS started to pursue such strategy after losing a few major defence accounts to competitors; no names were given.

[Indra]

Originally Posted by gsamsa

ANSYS is complicit if not directly conspiratorial in inducing such situations. I spoke with people working in the testing department of ANSYS and there is no technical barrier preventing ANSYS to make their licenses uncrackable.
The only reason for their weak security is that ANSYS makes money from the situation. They also pointed out that ANSYS started to pursue such strategy after losing a few major defence accounts to competitors; no names were given.

Well, that's what happens when someone uses illegal versions. You can't judge a company if the victim themselves are doing something illegal? Why use the illegal version in the first place?

[evcelica]

Originally Posted by Indra

Well, that's what happens when someone uses illegal versions. You can't judge a company if the victim themselves are doing something illegal? Why use the illegal version in the first place?

Yes, what the student did (using cracked software) was wrong, ABSOLUTELY, no doubt.
But OP's point is that does not justify ANSYS's actions. This is a much more complex situation and really a discussion of liability and "business ethics", if there is such a thing ;-)

I believe the point OP is trying to make:
The situation here, and in some of these cases is that a large organization can't control everyone who is on their network.
I've heard of similar situations in large companies (who own plenty of legitimate ANSYS licenses), where some contractor who wasn't even an employee of the company, had pirated ANSYS on their personal computer. Since they used the software while connected to the companies network, ANSYS went after the company.
Same situation here, except this time it is a University! They can't control everything their students do with their own computers! Surely the university has computing policies forbidding unlicensed software, what else are they to do?

Also, ANSYS knows of all their pirated licenses every time they are used as they have "code armor". Yet perhaps they are not confronting individuals, no money in that! Instead they can wait until one of those cracked versions is used on the network of a large entity with large pockets, because this could be about money, not protecting intellectual property.
It may not be "cease and desist" using the illegal software. Instead it could be is "We caught you, pay us 10's of thousands of dollars or face legal consequences and embarrassment." Which most organizations likely go with the former, as seen in an earlier post.
It could easily be interpreted that the crack-able but traceable software can be used as bait, and software companies can generate large revenue blackmailing deep pocketed organizations using this tactic. This is Racketeering

Similar to the Prenda Law copyright infringement case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prenda_Law Where a shell company released torrents of their own copyrighted pornographic material, then would trace downloaders IPs and threaten them, demanding large monetary payment lest they would be humiliated and sued. This is extortion.

In OP's and similar cases, organizations could be blackmailed for actions of people only loosely tied to them and who they can't control, for using software they didn't install, on hardware they don't own.

ANSYS says "code armor" is about turning non-customers into customers, and I'm sure in some cases that is absolutely true. It is being used for good reason and purpose. But it can also be used unethically and unfairly, bordering on illegal. Do software companies differentiate between these right and wrong cases, or just use their tracing tools to maximize revenue?
This all is case-by-case dependent, and goes much deeper than simply right and wrong.

[Matt Munisu]

Originally Posted by gsamsa

In the last three days I got additional 5 messages. Please share and let me know if you had similar experience. My private email is gsamsa007@yahoo.com

I know this is an older post but they are threatening me as well with over 3x what I make in a year which I could never pay. They are trying to go after the company I work for actually which seems to be their MO. I don't understand how the company would be liable for something like this when it was done at home by the user.

Mike

[rob8565]

Hi Matt,

I am on same boat as you. Did you had any further discussion /settlement with them.

[Matt Munisu]

I've gotten some messages from others. They state they are going after the users employers even when the did nothing at their employer. I've been told for only a few uses as well over a very short period of time. As far as I can tell there isn't much basis for that but I'm not an attorney.

Mike

[FS_007]

I used it four years ago for a very short period of time due to ignorance. Any suggestion on the best way to deal with it? I'm absolutely devastated rn...

[Martin_Sz]

other way - you can try "open source" software like Calculix or OpenFoam, Code Saturne and others , similar powerful like ansys

[paxycrone]

ANSYS is complicit if not directly conspiratorial in inducing such situations. I spoke with people working in the testing department of ANSYS and there is no technical barrier preventing ANSYS to make their licenses uncrackable.
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