Runtime License Frequently Asked Questions

Q. My application is only used internally. I do not distribute the application commercially. Am I exempt from paying runtime licenses?

A. No, you are not exempt. Runtime licenses are required for each user of the application software whether the copies are used internally or are distributed commercially.

Q. How long do runtime licenses last? Do I have to pay a maintenance fee?

A. Runtime licenses are perpetual and do not need to be renewed or maintained to remain in effect. They are limited, however to one major version of LEADTOOLS and must be upgraded to move to a major new version of LEADTOOLS.

Q. How do upgrades work? Do I have to upgrade my runtime licenses?

A. Minor version updates may be deployed free of charge to any seats that have already been licensed. A customer deploying a new version of LEADTOOLS (e. g. 17, 18) to its install base must upgrade the runtime licenses. Upgraded runtime licenses are priced at 40% of the published runtime price for the new version. Any unused prepaid runtime licenses may be carried forward to the new version.

Q. I want to have a demo or evaluation version of my application. Do I have to pay runtime licenses for these?

A. Provided the demo software expires within 30 days and is offered free of charge to prospects of an application the customer is charging the customer for, then LEAD will provide permission for royalty free evaluation/demo software.

Q. How are licenses delivered? Does your software use dongles or software keys?

A. Dongles are not required. The licensing is contract based and customers are required to provide LEAD with a quarterly accounting of deployments. Prepaid licenses and server licenses are evidenced by a license certificate which is delivered to you via regular mail or email.

Q. I am only using a small subset of features. Do I have to pay the full runtime license?

A Every customer is only using a small subset of features. Feature usage is not a basis for runtime license fee reduction.

Q How do I count licenses if I install the software on a server?

A. The general rule is that if software is installed on a server, a license is required for each machine that is connected to the server. For example, in a work flow environment, if client computers that can route files to the server application for batch processing, each client machine would require a desk top runtime license even though the software is not installed on the client machine. If the software resides solely on the server, a customer has the option of purchasing a server license to avoid purchasing licenses for the machines connected to the server. A server license is not an option if LEAD code is distributed to client machines. Server license pricing is based on a variety of factors, including through- put, commercial product verses internal use and number of processing cores.

Q I host the software on a server and provide a service to customers. How is this handled from a licensing stand-point?

A. A server license is required for ASP/SAAS types of deployment. The pricing of the server license will be based on the revenue that is generated on the service, with a minimum fee per core processor.

For more information, refer to:

About LEADTOOLS Runtime Licenses

Runtime License Agreement Summary

LEADTOOLS Duplication and Distribution License

Runtime License Price Schedule