Topic: Getting rid of the "Educational product" message

[CADaver]

the file from now on will have the "educational bla bla bla" stamp .

Yup, that's what it does.

2) I am not going to use those blocks for financiar purposes . I am going to give them for free .

Whoever you give 'em to, can't use 'em either.

[Arizona]

Just to ask a side question here;
How many files are we talking about?
Are they in one directory or many directories?
Perhaps rather than trying to interpret/validate/etc... the EULA, maybe it would be a better solution just to write/help write a program that would go through these drawings replacing the "educational cells blocks" with valid blocks.

[Keith™]

Just to ask a side question here;
How many files are we talking about?
Are they in one directory or many directories?
Perhaps rather than trying to interpret/validate/etc... the EULA, maybe it would be a better solution just to write/help write a program that would go through these drawings replacing the "educational cells blocks" with valid blocks.

Ah .. I see the Microcraption in you is coming out .. ... Well I was using my analogy in the hypothetical, but remember once you put that EDU block (or xref) into a drawing, the drawing is tainted for life. So theoretically, if you have an xref that is used in all of your thousands of drawings, and you don't realize it is there until you have opened and saved hundreds (if not all) of the drawings, you are completely screwed. Now I am not sure how AutoCAD handles the xref if it is updated by an EDU version while being actively attached to another drawing, but I would suspect (with nothing but my own conjecture mind you), that the user would never be notified of the impending EDU crisis until it is too late.

[Arizona]

I seem to be constantly speaking in two platforms anymore. I call it autostation...

[Dinosaur]

I seem to be constantly speaking in two platforms anymore. I call it autostation...

Or perhaps more accurately, "MicroCAD"
If I remember correctly Keith, it only takes one element of a drawing containing the education watermark to attach the new drawing.  If this is indeed an accidental introduction we are back to my first response to this question having to convince Autodesk to let your reseller purge your file.  If Autodesk determines you  were deliberately trying to use the file (as seems to be the case with the original question) they will offer no relief.  The last I knew, this was a one time offer - mess up again and it is redraw time.

[Mark]

Could someone post the part of the EULA that mentions the EDU plot stamp? Or is that against the EULA too? Sorry I don't have one with me or I would look. It just seems to me it would make more sense to this thread if everyone knew exactly what you guys are talking about plus add a reference point.

[dan19936]

Could someone post the part of the EULA that mentions the EDU plot stamp?

Help > About > Product Information > License Agreement (at least in 2002)

Reading the EULA seems to indicate posting the License Files is a violation of the agreement. Check under definition of User Documentation, which is prohibited from copying.

Edit - It does warn that combining or linking data from education versions may 'affect a limitation' on the other data.

Dan

[Keith™]

Well, the EULA states that the documentation may not be copied,  I am not sure if that extends to the license file or not, but there is a specific portion of the license agreement which states that
1. It may only be used for the time period stated ON THE PACKAGE
2. It may ONLY be used by students working toward a degree or certificate with AT LEAST 3 hours per semester.
3. It is for study and instructional purposes ONLY and it cannot be used for commercial, for profit, or professional use.
4. It MAY NOT be used in a lab environment in an educational institution
5. You CANNOT purchase a full version as an upgrade to a student version, you MUST purchase a completely new license.

[Mark]

Reading the EULA seems to indicate posting the License Files is a violation of the agreement. Check under definition of User Documentation, which is prohibited from copying.

Really! For some reason that doesn't surprise me.

[Jim Yadon]

All of the legal verbage aside, the only loop hole I see there is to create a routine using VBA in a fully licensed version of ACAD to read the EV DWG file and re-build the block in a new DWG file. While this may seem to be a cheat, it's actually only an automation of drafting duplication process. It'd take some time to write but would keep everyone compliant who is using the Educational version and then switching to the Full version upon graduation. After all, isn't automation of rudundant tasks a big part of why they made ALISP, VBA & ARX readily available?

[Dinosaur]

Could someone post the part of the EULA that mentions the EDU plot stamp? Or is that against the EULA too? Sorry I don't have one with me or I would look. It just seems to me it would make more sense to this thread if everyone knew exactly what you guys are talking about plus add a reference point.

from 2007 license.rtf:

Autodesk
SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT
Worldwide

READ CAREFULLY: AUTODESK, INC. (“AUTODESK”) LICENSES THIS SOFTWARE TO YOU ONLY UPON THE CONDITION THAT YOU ACCEPT

ALL OF THE TERMS CONTAINED IN THIS SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT (“AGREEMENT”). . .
   2.2.3   Educational Institutional Version.  If Autodesk identifies the Software as an “Educational Institutional Version” in the applicable User

Documentation, You may Install and Access a single copy of the Software on up to the Permitted Number of Computers, only for educational purposes

(as further specified in the applicable User Documentation) and for no other purpose.  Without limiting the foregoing Educational Institutional Versions

of the Software may not be used for commercial, professional, or for-profit purposes.  Additionally, functional limitations apply, as set forth in Section 6.
   2.2.4   Student Version.  If Autodesk identifies the Software as a “Student Version” in the applicable User Documentation, You may Install

and Access a single copy of the Software on up to the Permitted Number of Computers, only for personal learning purposes, and no other purpose. 

Unless otherwise provided by Autodesk in the User Documentation, Student Versions of the Software may be used for a period of one (1) year from the

date of Installation.  Without limiting the foregoing, Student Versions of the Software may not be used for commercial, professional or other for-profit

purposes and may only be used by persons who qualify as a permitted user of Student Versions (as further specified in the applicable User

Documentation for the jurisdiction in which the Software is acquired). Additionally, functional limitations apply, as set forth in Section 6. . .

3.   PERMITTED AND PROHIBITED ACTIONS . . .

3.2      Prohibited Actions.  Autodesk does not permit any of the following actions and You acknowledge that such actions shall be

prohibited: . . .
   3.2.5   Notices.  You may not remove, alter, or obscure any proprietary notices, labels, or marks from the Software or User

Documentation. . .

6.   WARNINGS . . .

6.3   Educational Institutional and Student Versions.  WORK PRODUCT AND OTHER DATA CREATED WITH EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONAL

VERSIONS AND STUDENT VERSIONS OF THE SOFTWARE CONTAINS CERTAIN NOTICES AND LIMITATIONS THAT MAKE THE DATA

UNUSABLE OUTSIDE THE EDUCATIONAL USE AREA. IF YOU COMBINE OR LINK DATA CREATED WITH EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONAL

VERSIONS OR STUDENT VERSIONS OF THE SOFTWARE WITH DATA OTHERWISE CREATED, THEN SUCH OTHER DATA MAY ALSO BE

AFFECTED BY THESE LIMITATIONS. . .

[MP]

The scheme by which Autodesk flags a drawing as educational is so amateurish it can be cracked in under 20 minutes, a couple mintues if you know what to look for. I did it for the technical challenge, nothing more (the discussion that originally appeared on Autodesk's news server in which I had noted my finding has been nuked, tho I didn't share the actual details -- merely that it was laughable how easy it was to crack).

Having said that should one disclose the details of the scheme?

ABSOLUTELY NOT IMO.

Should one distribute drawings made or modified by an educational version, even if for non commercial purposes?

ABSOLUTELY NOT; NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES IMO2.

A tool for scanning drawings for the 'educational' state is available by the very competent Owen Wengerd, at manusoft.com (EDU-Scan). Applicable for AutoCAD 2000/2002.

<snip>Features

The EDU-Scan interface is very simple. A small icon in the AutoCAD status bar with the letters "EP" indicates the status of the current drawing. When the current drawing is infected with the educational product plot stamp, the letters EP appear in red; otherwise the letters are greyed out. Right clicking on the button opens a context menu with options for an 'About' dialog.

There is no graphical user interface for configurable settings in EDU-Scan, however there are several AutoCAD profile settings that may be used to change the default EDU-Scan behavior. Administrators may use these configuration settings to enforce use of EDU-Scan throughout an organization, or to modify it's default behavior.

For programmers, EDU-Scan defines an AutoLISP function named (IsEMR). This function returns T if the current drawing contains the educational product plot stamp, or nil otherwise. </snip>

No affiliation, though I did briefly discuss Autodesk's scheme with Owen once upon a lifetime ago.

We now return you to regularly scheduled discussions.

PEACE.

[dan19936]

All of the legal verbage aside, the only loop hole I see there is to create a routine using VBA in a fully licensed version of ACAD to read the EV DWG file and re-build the block in a new DWG file. While this may seem to be a cheat, it's actually only an automation of drafting duplication process. It'd take some time to write but would keep everyone compliant who is using the Educational version and then switching to the Full version upon graduation. After all, isn't automation of rudundant tasks a big part of why they made ALISP, VBA & ARX readily available?

Maybe compliant legally but not in spirit. But hey who cares, there just a big money grubbing monolith anyway?

[iliekater]

Whoever you give 'em to, can't use 'em either.

Well not really ! Everyone will be able to use them becouse , nowmore , they are stampfree !

[CADaver]

Whoever you give 'em to, can't use 'em either.

Well not really ! Everyone will be able to use them becouse , nowmore , they are stampfree !

If you have recreated the blocks with a commercial version of the software, you are correct.  If you have somehow circumvented the stamp and the blocks were created with an educational version of the software, the blocks remain in violation to the EULA and can not be used in commercial endeavors