Quote:
Originally Posted by Molten
Now, the odds of you getting sued are admittedly slim. However, if it were to go to court, they would definitely win. Regardless of your reasoning, you would end up paying for it. I would suggest against it and would consider one of the free online drafting software. I've heard there is one that is quite similar to Solidworks.
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They would have to prove that there was a contract made, and that you broke it, and that they suffered damages. That's not a definite win.
It would mean proving that the end-user licence agreement is enforceable (these are controversial for several reasons, not the least of which being that they often can't prove that you personally and knowingly agreed to it), and showing that your use of it diminished SolidWorks expected revenues (or harmed them in some other way).
For example, it would potentially be a defence to demonstrate that your use of the software did not harm SolidWorks because there was no direct commercial purpose to your use of it—basically, what Don did. If there's no harm, a tort action can't be sustained.
Pragmatically, I suspect that SolidWorks isn't interested in providing full support for the (inexpensive) educational versions, and doesn't want to be responsible in any way for the results of software that is unable to accept the patches that it provides for regular customers. (They would be open to the allegation that they were negligent, for offering software with known flaws, despite the existence of a resolution.) But they're still out to sell (or rent) software to people, and they understand fully well that this is an investment toward future sales. It's in their business interests not to mess with you personally.
The workplace, however, might be another story. If they make a habit of using SolidWorks' educational software for non-educational purposes, the lawyers might be summoned.
Basically, there's a difference between what is not permitted by the licence, and what SolidWorks will likely tolerate. It's up to you to decide whether you feel that overstepping the licence terms in a particular way still yields an equitable outcome, and also, whether you can (and want to) assume additional liability (however small the amount) on behalf of yourself and your company.