Aiming to make its complex product-licensing terms a bit clearer, Microsoft said it will group its products into separate categories based on how the products are licensed and on what rights are offered.
The move, effective July 1, is part of Microsoft"s regular update of its licensing program. The software maker said it is not changing the licensing terms associated with any of its software, but instead is trying to make those terms more understandable to customers.
"What customers told us is they are really confused," said Sunny Charlebois, a product manager in Microsoft"s worldwide licensing and pricing unit. Charlebois said Microsoft"s previous outline of various products and their usage rules was more than 100 pages. "It was legalese; it was very difficult to understand."