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Recent Changes to the SPSS Licensing Process

As of version 16.0, SPSS for Mac software features new licensing technology. This technology enables us to add flexible new licensing options now and in the future, while helping you maintain the terms of your license agreement. The primary difference with this licensing scheme is that the software will be tethered to your hardware. This requires us to make some changes in our licensing process. If you are upgrading from a version of SPSS Mac prior to version 16.0, please read the information below to learn about the changes.

All license types


Temporary access to all options. The software has a temporary period during which the application can be run without a license. During this temporary period you will have access to all options for a short period of time.

Obtaining a license. Prior to SPSS for Mac 16.0, we included a license code in the software package and you entered it during installation. With this licensing, we're including an authorization code in the software package. You will go through one additional step to get a license. If you have Internet access on the computer on which you will install the application, the experience will be about the same. If your computer doesn't have Internet access, you will need to communicate with SPSS Customer Service to obtain a license code.

Entering the authorization code. Instead of a license code, you will receive an authorization code on paper and will be required to enter it after the installation process. If you are connected to the Internet during installation, the application will contact the SPSS license server on the Internet and obtain your license (Please note: this will be the only time that the software communicates over the Internet with SPSS Inc. While you are using the application, SPSS will NOT be transmitting ANY information back to SPSS Inc.) If the computer used to install the software doesn't have Internet access, you will need to communicate with SPSS Customer Service to obtain a license code.

Upgrading hardware. Prior to SPSS for Mac 16.0, licenses were not tethered to hardware, so you could freely install the application on an unlimited number of other computers, or replace your hardware. With the new licensing, there is a limit on the number of computers on which you can install the application. And, if you replace the hardware to which the license is locked, you will need to contact SPSS to discuss the possibility of obtaining another license.

Definitions of the license types supported and changes specific to the various license types


Single-user license. A license for a personal installation of an application. This type of license is for individual customers of desktop applications. This includes SPSS Graduate Pack™ and SPSS Career Starter Program™ .

Changes from the licensing prior to version 16.0: A single-user license entitles you to two authorizations so that you can install the application on both a work and home computer. The license is stored in a file on the computer on which the application is installed. Like our previous policy, this licensing enables you to run multiple instances of SPSS sessions at a given time on that computer.

Site license. A license will allow n installations of the application including specific options, in which your organization pays according to the number of installations. This type of license is typically sold to customers who have a large number of known users at a site, for example, a university with 1,000 users, who are staff members or students.

This type of license works like the single-user license—the license is stored in a file on the computer on which the application is installed and the software is tethered to that computer.

Changes from the licensing prior to version 16.0: Unlike our previous policy, with this licensing we will enforce a limit on the number of installations. When your organization purchases n installations, the site license coordinator will be sent an authorization code, which will work for the number of installations that were purchased. We expect the coordinator to distribute the authorization code only to authorized users at the site.

Note that it is up to the site license coordinator to control access to the authorization code. If he distributes it freely, he runs the risk of having unauthorized users obtaining license codes from SPSS.

Unlike our previous policy, your organization will no longer be able to conduct a "minimal installation." A minimal installation involves only installing a few files on the end-user's machine (rather than the entire application), putting the license on a network computer, and then "pointing" the end-user's machine at the network to get the license at run time. With the updated licensing scheme, you must do a "full installation" on the end-user's computer. You can install a license on each computer or transfer to a network license and install the license on a networked computer. With a network license, you will need to install the Network License Manager on a computer at your site. Please contact your sales representative for more information regarding a transfer to a network license.

Network license. A license that allows n concurrent users to access the application including specific options, in which the purchase price is determined according to the number of concurrent users. This type of license is typically sold to customers who have a large number of users on the organization but where not all of them need to run the application all of the time; for example, a market research firm where 20 analysts are using an application, but only five analysts need it at any given time.

The license is granted at runtime by the Network License Manager, which is running on a computer somewhere on the network. Like our previous policy, we enforce the number of concurrent users by encoding that number into the Network License Manager's license code. The Network License Manager will only grant that number of licenses, and refuse additional requests. Note that unlike the single-user license, each instance of the application and options that it is running requires a license, even if the instances are running on the same physical computer.

Just like the previous policy, the administrator will need to install the Network License Manager first before any desktop applications are installed. Then the administrator will need to distribute the name or IP address of the computer on which the Network License Manager is running. When the end user installs the product, he enters this information, which is automatically stored so that the application can always find the License Manager.

With a network license, you have the option to add a network commuter license. This feature enables network license users to run SPSS for Windows without connecting the network and the license manager. The administrator can designate a certain percentage of licenses as commuter licenses, which licensed users can check out.

Changes from the licensing prior to version 16.0: In older-licensing versions, the network administrator had to provide an IP address for the computer on which the License Manager will run prior to completing the purchase of the product. For the updated licensing scheme, the administrator doesn't have to do that.

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