Selling Office 365 licences

[Tomitsa]

I have a theoretical question about selling Office copies online. If you work in a company and a company gives 5 Office Proplus licences to every worker, is it illegal to sell the remaining 4 online? People contact me and I go to their house or connect via Teamviewer and install it for them for a price?

It feels the same to me as selling the used goods like a fridge or a TV or a computer hardware which is legal. Is there any difference between those examples and why?

 

[13thmonkey]

Your employer has those licenses, unless those other people have a contractual relationship with your employer, then no.

 

[canadianvice]

That would be in contravention of the license.

Unlike say, a fridge, software is not technically physical property, but something given to you akin to a subscription like Netflix that can be cancelled or retracted at any time for ... usually, quite a few liberal reasons. If you're not supposed to share it per the terms of that subscription, then you should not be doing so.

As for Office, it is sold at a special discount under "site licenses" used in many companies - and often with conditions allowing a person to purchase a copy cheaply for themselves during their term of employment. This discount comes with the caveat that the keys are not for masse resale.

The quick and dirty: no. It's not legal, it violates the terms of your license, and you can't do it.

 

[Tomitsa]

Yes but my employer gives me 5 copies to use. That makes them mine, I guess? Something I've earned with my work?

So it would be legal to use them myself on 5 computers but illegal to sell?

 

[13thmonkey]

As stated twice now that would indeed not be an acceptable thing to do. Your employer has the right to grant you those licenses, for your personal use, as a user of the 365 system. You personal use means that you are personally using and operating them, and not selling them on.

 

[Tomitsa]

Ok, thx for your answers!