微软最近允许在英国出售“二手”软件许可证，这让英国的经销商大吃一惊，也许开发二手软件市场的时候到了。

　　Disclic公司最近得到微软的许可，把那些破产或正裁员的公司闲置的软件许可证转卖给其他公司。Disclic的一个主管Jonathan Horley说：“这件事情计划约一年半了，很多公司都没有认识到其实软件许可证也是一笔资产，但是现在他们逐渐认识到这一点了。”

　　英国破产法和微软的许可协议条款中都允许把那些闲置的许可协议转让，所以Disclic公司的行为是合法的，他们出售的软件许可证比一般经销商的价格便宜20%—50%。

　　微软的一位发言人周四在英国表示Disclic公司的行为是合法的，没有触犯微软的软件许可协议。

　　Chirs Lamb是Basilica的一位软件许可经理，他专门向大企业销售产品，听说这个消息的时候被吓了一跳：“这对我们来说关系到切身利益，因为我们正在考虑怎样给顾客更完全的增值服务，我不知道他们开价是多少，但是如果可以用三分之一的价钱买到同样的软件 许可，这简直是毁灭性的！”

　　其他软件经销商在听到此消息的时候也非常震惊，他们没想到微软会同意干这样的事情，因为这对它的合作伙伴有很大的潜在性打击，也很可能影响微软自身的许可收益。

　　微软的经销商Compusys的商务主管Gordon Davies说：“我从未听说过此事，我对此感到非常惊讶，这简直就是在从微软和渠道商那里抢钱！”Davies同时在考虑Compusys能否也通过这一渠道获利。他说：“凡事都是一分为二的，我在想这可能是一种新的营业模式，比如开发一个网站，在上面 拍卖那些破产公司的软件许可，这也许会成为一个新渠道。”

　　Bytes是一个面向大企业的公司，该公司的软件服务主管Zak Virdi说微软应该密切注意这些转卖商的一举一动。

　　Disclic公司的Horley说：“这一模式现在还不为人们所知，大家需要一段时间来了解它。人们可以从用户和经销商两方面的角度来考虑这个问题。”

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　D.N.N.

Secondhand Microsoft software goes on sale in UK
By Karen Gomm, Special to ZDNet
11 November 2005 08:23 AM

Microsoft has stunned some in the British reseller community by allowing a discount dealer to sell secondhand volume licenses, opening the floodgates for a used-software market.

Disclic this week began offering secondhand software licenses from insolvent or downsizing companies to other businesses with Microsoft’s blessing.

“Yes, we are doing that,” said Jonathan Horley, a director at Disclic. “It’s been in planning for a year and a half. Previously, a lot of companies didn’t see software licenses as an asset, but this helps them see that.”

A loophole in British insolvency laws and a clause within many Microsoft licenses that permits disused or unwanted volume licenses to be transferred enables Disclic to sell the licenses legally. The licenses are offered at a discount of around 20 to 50 percent below prices of any other authorised Microsoft reseller.

A Microsoft representative confirmed on Thursday in the UK that Disclic’s resale of licenses “does meet Microsoft’s terms and conditions.”

Chris Lamb, the software licensing manager at Basilica, which sells products to large enterprises, said he was shocked to hear the software giant would allow the practice.

“This is certainly going to be a concern to us, as we focus on giving our customers a complete value-add service. I don’t know what kind of prices these guys are offering, but if you can buy exactly the same licenses at a third of the price that could be very damaging,” Lamb said.

Other resellers were also surprised that Microsoft would allow something so potentially damaging to partners and to its own licensing revenue.

“I’ve never heard the like, and I am stunned,” said Gordon Davies, the commercial director of Microsoft reseller Compusys. “This is clearly going to take away revenue from the channel and from Microsoft,” he said.

Davies is also considering whether Compusys may be able to turn the situation to its advantage.

“I’m split two ways about this, because it could be the start of a whole new business proposal,” Davies said. “Perhaps if there was an online portal, where you could bid for the licenses of insolvent businesses, it could create a new channel.”

Zak Virdi, the software services director at Bytes, which aims its products at large companies, said Microsoft should monitor the activity of discount dealers closely. “This has got to be very carefully looked at,” he said.

The new business approach of selling-off of volume software licenses could take time to sink in, Disclic’s Horley said. “It’s such a new concept to the way people bought licenses before. How people react in terms of the resellers and the users remains to be seen,” he said.