Starting to hate iLOK

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

But that was your own fault, for not deactivating. iLok isn’t the only system like that, most any copy protection that uses your hardware config would do the same. E.g. waves, code meter etc.

Got to be more on the ball than that nowadays. One reason the dongle is a better solution imo.

Just sayin...

-cheers

What happens if your computer dies?

^This.
I've had that happen a couple years ago and I lost all of my licenses. That was not my fault.

Then what happened?

Well, like mabian mentioned, I was unable to reset my licenses through iLok despite the sob story I gave them. I was able to get some licenses restored (Eventide, Soundtoys, AIR), but I lost the rest (UVI, Sonivox).

I feel for you, man

So, you're saying it's all down to the benevolence of the developers? Even then, do you think it's on a case-by-case basis, or do certain companies always play ball? And on what grounds did the other companies refuse?

My most important soundware on soft-iLok is some Soundtoys stuff. Even though they gave you a pass, they might not to me etc.

[softska]

But that was your own fault, for not deactivating. iLok isn’t the only system like that, most any copy protection that uses your hardware config would do the same. E.g. waves, code meter etc.

Got to be more on the ball than that nowadays. One reason the dongle is a better solution imo.

Just sayin...

-cheers

What happens if your computer dies?

^This.
I've had that happen a couple years ago and I lost all of my licenses. That was not my fault.

It's not less your responsibility than is not losing your wallet. It may feel unfair, and good vendors will help you, but, the solution is insurance, not localizing blame.

With Waves you can store the authorization on a USB stick which is much less likely to just out and out fail. For extra security maybe use a memory card in a card reader. Or, if you're super paranoid a high reliability external SSD.

With iLok/eLicenser the license is essentially lost and it is up to the vendor to generate a new one. Can you even get the ZDT feature without a physical iLok?

No ZDT for hardware auth.

Waves at least allow reset license once every year (or 2?) without having to go thru support or cost money if your computer dies. Exceed that you do technically have to have WUP before waves support helps you.

With ilok dongle with ZDT, if you lost it you pay $50 to restore your license + shipping new ilok + another ZDT cost for that new ilok (been there done that)...

Regardless of cost, ilok hardware auth is one of the most poorly thought after scheme.

[pekbro]

Well iLok offers cloud based protection as well now, I personally choose the dongle, but there is an alternative.
Anyway, to me a complaint like this is like getting mad at your car because you forgot to put gas in it. If your computer dies, thats one thing. If not, well... Also, like I said most any system using your hardware id will do the same. Waves will let you recover your lic's once per year. Thats the only one I know of with any means of fixing things your self.

[Jace-BeOS]

But that was your own fault, for not deactivating. iLok isn’t the only system like that, most any copy protection that uses your hardware config would do the same. E.g. waves, code meter etc.

Got to be more on the ball than that nowadays. One reason the dongle is a better solution imo.

Just sayin...

-cheers

Blame the user for bad software design, especially on software that has nothing to do with legit paying users but penalizes them for being such.

...computer industry fans continue to offer special pleading and victim blaming to excuse horrible product...

Had the computer just up and died, would you still blame the user?

[pekbro]

Then he shouldn’t have installed it in the first place. iLok is not the only company to do that. Yet people go out of their way to bad mouth it. Yet they don’t like when others try to defend with a far more reasonable argument.

People don’t like iLok, we get it. Don’t expect anti-iLok propoganda to go unanswered though.

[djanthonyw]

I hate iLok. I really, really hate iLok. The only reason why I use it is because I really, really love SoundToys.

I had a 2011 MacBook Pro and the graphics chip / logic board went out on it THREE times. This issue was officially acknowledged by Apple and two of the replacements were covered by them. The third time it happened was last month. Since it was a machine that's older than six years, Apple considers it vintage and would no longer repair it because they said they no longer make the parts.

I would have lost my SoundToys licenses three times if I didn't save an image of my drive, boot into the drive image, then deactivate them. When booting back into the main drive, they'll continue to work.

Is it a workaround that PACE would approve of? Nope, but I really don't care. I'm more interested in protecting my ass, and hopefully this will help others protect the licenses that they paid for from being lost to hardware failures.

[dark water]

iLok itself is cool.
However, I don't enjoy shelling out approx £30 every year. Likewise, I don't enjoy not shelling out approx £30 every year now I've got loads of plugins on the dongle. It is confusing.

[himalaya]

Question:

Are there any technical obstacles which make software vendors unable to deactivate an old licence deposited in the iLok account on a crashed computer (soft-iLok option) and provide a replacement?

I'm asking as an iLok ignoramus only recently expanding my iLok account with more iLok-protected plugins but since I choose to use soft-iLok (for several reasons) I'm rather troubled by this topic. My Mac is also old and should it crash, I will be mighty annoyed if I won't be able to get my licences back.

Is the licence restoration in this context a technical issue or just a whimsical decision on the part of the software publisher: "maybe we will replace it, maybe we won't" or "we actually can do it, we know that the licence on the computer that died is not used and will never be used, ie: it's not 'shared' with others and therefore circumventing the licence agreement, and in fact we can block it completely, but nevertheless we will still refuse to provide a replacement licence to you" type of affair or similar?

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

Question:

Are there any technical obstacles which make software vendors unable to deactivate an old licence deposited in the iLok account on a crashed computer (soft-iLok option) and provide a replacement?

I'm asking as an iLok ignoramus only recently expanding my iLok account with more iLok-protected plugins but since I choose to use soft-iLok (for several reasons) I'm rather troubled by this topic. My Mac is also old and should it crash, I will be mighty annoyed if I won't be able to get my licences back.

Is the licence restoration in this context a technical issue or just a whimsical decision on the part of the software publisher: "maybe we will replace it, maybe we won't" or "we actually can do it, we know that the licence on the computer that died is not used and will never be used, ie: it's not 'shared' with others and therefore circumventing the licence agreement, and in fact we can block it completely, but nevertheless we will still refuse to provide a replacement licence to you" type of affair or similar?

Yup! I also really need to know this

[ghettosynth]

Some information from Pace in this thread. Basically, they technically could recreate your licenses, but, their agreements with software vendors doesn't allow them to do this without guaranteeing that the old license has been deactivated.

I don't see that Pace is the culprit here. You need to convince your software vendor that the license is truly gone, which is what they're really concerned about. Without this, since there's no way to verify that the license is gone, someone could sell the computer with the soft licenses and then get new free licenses from the vendor. Of course I believe the same is true with a stolen hardware iLok as there is no need to connect to Pace to make use of a dongle, is there? I might be wrong on that, I haven't tried it.

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=432250

[Nielzie]

So I guess you'd better e-mail and ask now all the developers you have i-Lok licenses from, that if your system would crash if they would help you restore the license or not in that case. If not, screw them, sell them. If the answer is yes than save that e-mail for proof, in case it happens.

[mabian]

Ok, I confirm that thanks to prompt AIR support I was able to reset all licenses and start clean in the new hardware configuration, getting rid of the licenses that were left assigned to the old, no longer existant system.
So, kudos to AIR for that and a proof that it can be done exists now. Cool.

But still, I have mixed feelings about the weird "immature" asset of current iLOK system.
Enabling the user to fully manage the licenses assigned to him/her not only is possible as shown here, but should be simply done in my opinion. Leaving that to the product maker makes for an unnecessary support burden.
Just take HitFilm and Melodyne as valid examples for that. I can do everything from their website.

Anyway, I have to check about this new cloud iLOK system, hoping it can address my concerns.

As additional anooying little issue, I just renamed my PC but iLOK license manager insist in referring to its "location" with the old name, seemingly with no ability to edit it.
Yes, it's nitpicking, but this shows how those little things weren't considered as normal or realistic use cases...

I know that I could vote with my wallet, but as other mentioned sometimes we just get into compromises because the product using iLOK is so good or convenient or both.

And being said that I should have deactivated before changing my system and so I'm the only guilty for what happened is a bit pointless, because motherboards and related hardware can break and in this case I don't think I should be held responsible for not deactivating.
I have all serials, activations and installers of the other product and licenses I own, so I'm always ready for when I have to start over, but with iLOK this is simply not enough.

In the end, I'm good for now, until next system meltdown... now that I know better this system I'll think twice before getting another iLOK protected product.

Thanks,
Mario

[robotmonkey]

E.g. waves.

-cheers

Don't badmouth Waves, they allow you to deactivate plugins even if the old system is unavailable. It's limited to once a year when user does it himself, but still.

Waves is way more customer friendly tha any iLok developer.

[Gamma-UT]

Waves doesn't deactivate the licence as such - the company just takes the view that, on balance, they are better off having additional copies floating around (and being used offline) than having to deal with irate customers who have first suffered a fried motherboard and then the frustration of getting their software up and running. Having a once a year amnesty limits the commercial damage from those extra licences and covers all but the most accident-prone customers.

Similarly, though it lets you deactivate licences remotely, Plugin Alliance's system can't control a system that is taken offline permanently. However, that system can't get an update without logging back into the website. So, again, commercial damage limited. And customers don't have to worry about problems caused by a bricked motherboard or an upgrade knackering the machine ID.

As said upthread, PACE supplies the lock - it doesn't get directly involved in how many people get given keys to the lock. If you're worried about bricking a motherboard or a hard drive and dealing with the licence problems afterward either get the dongle or find alternatives.

[mabian]

Update:

even though iLOK License manager says that Xpand2! licenses are available (0 out of 2 assigned), the code I have is now rejected in the plugin as "code redemption limit has been reached". So, something wrong is going on...

Stay tuned, annoyance goes on...

- Mario