What I don't understand: 5. clearly states that VSL can and will deactivate a lost/stolen/broken dongle. Why don't you just do that when necessary, instead of making us buy an insurance biannually? If Steinberg charges VSL for deactivation of licenses, why not just pass these fees on to the customer that needs the service when it is actually needed?

In my opinion customers should not have to buy an insurance against the deficiencies of a copyright protection system that VSL needs, not us. VSL should.

IMO it is not an optimal solution, but at least a decent one. And it is cheaper then any insurance 👍

Your timing is also perfect: I have a recording session on location on saturday. One thing less to worry that day 😃

@Dominique said:

What I don't understand: 5. clearly states that VSL can and will deactivate a lost/stolen/broken dongle. Why don't you just do that when necessary, instead of making us buy an insurance biannually? If Steinberg charges VSL for deactivation of licenses, why not just pass these fees on to the customer that needs the service when it is actually needed?

In my opinion customers should not have to buy an insurance against the deficiencies of a copyright protection system that VSL needs, not us. VSL should.

+1

Zero Downtime for iLok is 30 USD - VSL Protection is more than twice the price!! The thing is: if You spread Your libraries over more than one computer (that is intended by using VEPro!) You pay 210 Euro!! for a service that protects the product for the company.

I am really angry about that because - as has been stated before by Dominique - by having the possibility to deactivate licences on a stolen key there is no need at all for a protection plan! I do not know if it is legal to ask customers to pay for a sevice that is not necessary to protect the licences - think about it, this is a serious question...

@Dominique said:

What I don't understand: 5. clearly states that VSL can and will deactivate a lost/stolen/broken dongle. Why don't you just do that when necessary, instead of making us buy an insurance biannually? If Steinberg charges VSL for deactivation of licenses, why not just pass these fees on to the customer that needs the service when it is actually needed?

I was asking to my self the same thing

@Dominique said:

What I don't understand: 5. clearly states that VSL can and will deactivate a lost/stolen/broken dongle. Why don't you just do that when necessary, instead of making us buy an insurance biannually? If Steinberg charges VSL for deactivation of licenses, why not just pass these fees on to the customer that needs the service when it is actually needed?

I was asking to my self the same thing

+1 

While this is better than before,  this solution doesnt make sense to me, for the above mentioned reasons.

@Dominique said:

What I don't understand: 5. clearly states that VSL can and will deactivate a lost/stolen/broken dongle. Why don't you just do that when necessary, instead of making us buy an insurance biannually? If Steinberg charges VSL for deactivation of licenses, why not just pass these fees on to the customer that needs the service when it is actually needed?

In my opinion customers should not have to buy an insurance against the deficiencies of a copyright protection system that VSL needs, not us. VSL should.

Ditto. I remember VSL saying they couldn't remotely deactivate licenses. I'm glad they can now, but I certainly feel such protection should automatically be granted for any library purchase. I get why VSL might have to charge for it, I don't understand why they turn it into an insurance plan.

No, this recent announcement doesn't add up.

For years VSL have been arguing that if I lose my dongle, someone else might find it and use it, and therefore I have to pay for 50% of the cost of new licences to protect them against piracy.  OK, it's a bit brutal, but you can see their point.

But suddenly this is no longer an issue! They've somehow magically solved the problem of piracy ... as long as we pay them another €70 every couple of years!

Really?  So this apparently enormous risk that someone else might walk off with my lost dongle and start using it illegally is suddenly annulled by a fee of a mere €70?

And why is it always €70, regardless of the value of the protected licences?  If this were anything to do with protecting against piracy, the fee would be related to the value of the protected products, as all other insurance policies are.

Makes no sense.

@9u10m said:

I remember VSL saying they couldn't remotely deactivate licenses. I'm glad they can now...

though possible it is still not allowed to remotely deactivate licenses - this would be an intervention in a foreign computer system. however it is now possible to disable keys.

@9u10m said:

I remember VSL saying they couldn't remotely deactivate licenses. I'm glad they can now...

though possible it is still not allowed to remotely deactivate licenses - this would be an intervention in a foreign computer system. however it is now possible to disable keys.

This is from an email exchange with Marnix two years ago (I'm not trying to be a smart *** or anything): "Also it's technically not possible to disable the licenses or the key via remote".

My point is that now it is indeed feasible, I would have expected this service to be offered –and charged for– on a case-by-case basis. VSL choosing to turn it into a new stream of revenue rather than providing actual customer care feels inappropriate.

Hello everybody,

We are happy to see such a resonance to this important topic, and we can see that many of our users are embracing the new possibilities.
For reasons of copy protection security, we can NOT go into detail regarding the processes that are now possible in the background.

However, the gist of it is:

• We have been very aware of the fact that many of our users (and potential users) were missing a protection plan for their VSL licenses, and we are now able to offer a solution.
  
  
• Vienna Protection Plan is an optional service for those of you who are traveling, working in different studios or simply want to feel safe.
  
  
• This service also includes an instant Vienna Emergency License as soon as you report your key (the same service included with the often-quoted “Zero Downtime Plan” that is offered with iLok / PACE).

All in all:
This Vienna Protection Plan is a simple, reliable, and affordable way to protect your licenses.
It involves more complex actions on our side, but we are happy that we can finally offer peace of mind for our concerned users.

Best,
Stefan

Thank you for chiming in Stefan. To me this answer means:

for technical reasons that cannot be disclosed VSL is selling an insurance against the failure of a system that the customer doesn’t need (but must use for the company’s sake). And for the same undiscloseable reasons it must be an insurance, and not a service that only needs to be payed for when it is used.

In my opinion this is not a fair solution.

Just bought the Protection Plan for my considerably high investment in VSL. The library is worth the investment and now that it's secured I feel so much better. 70 Bucks or no.

Regards Stefan