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Commercial License of your product

jtanabodee

jtanabodee

Resource contributor
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thailand
Hi,
I would like to ask about commercial license of your scenery. I was asked so many times about using the scenery with full scale Flight Simulator. I wonder if you have any recommendation for me how you handle this.
1. Give them the Commercial License just only one copy to their simulator and charge additional price. I think it is fare enough since they can make money of our product which is intend to use at home, single user. If they want to install more, require licence each one.
2. Give them the permission to use only one simulator with the same price that you sell to all the users and ask them to advertise for you how to get your product if their customers want it. Personally, I think it is OK too if you think they can get your product anyway and you never know where they use it. If they break the licence of personal use, there is no way to know except walk through every single Commercial Flight Simulator and see if they have your commercial licence. It is almost impossible to investigate them all.
3. Give them the permission for multiple simulators if they want, and charge them only once. They can do whatever they want (of course except put to server for pirate download).

Please tell me how you handle this request.
Appreciate any comments and ideas.
 
For me, this really depends on the usage, and I do vary the license depending on the customer. For example, if the customer is dealing with enthusiasts as customers, then it makes more sense to supply a license cheap, on the condition that they 'promote' the scenery to some extent, even if it's just answering the question 'where do you get the scenery?'

So really I've used different combinations of all your listed methods. There are a lot of times when the customer is going to do something unexpected, though, so you need to cover all the possibilities. For example, I was once contacted by someone who can bought a commercial simulator as a going-concern, and wanted to update their scenery. Turns out that the seller was charging them an ongoing fee for my scenery, so I just had to sell them their own license, and tidy up the terms of the license regarding onselling.

Another customer currently gets to use my scenery for the normal price (although I do a lot of separate custom work for them, which pays well), with the understanding that they promote my scenery at airshows etc. But I'm very much aware that at some stage they will start producing their simulator as part of a training package when their vehicle is ready for the market, so I need to make sure that this isn't included in the current license.

But for flight training in general, I normally just charge once, with a negotiated price, based on the number of installations.
 
Hi,

Let me start by saying I have no experience with this for a commercial addon, but we did allow commercial companies to use our freeware scenery for the team I was a member of.

I think it would be reasonable to ask more than the normal price, since by providing the models of your scenery you will save the company a lot of work from making them themselves. That's worth much more than $30 (or whatever the price of your scenery is). Although you should keep in mind that in most cases they can't use a MS scenery directly, they will need to convert and integrate the models in their visualisation system in most cases.

What worked well for our freeware team is ask for a non-monetary compensation. For example a visit to their simulator or providing a FTP server for our team (that was in the time that free storage on the internet was more limited).
 
The core issue here I would consider support arrangements and custom development.
The buyer might very well expect professional level of support, in any case in the implementation phase at least. This is I think a bit different ballgame to your average sim guy. Especially if this is a "proper" outfit not some small-scale operation with a single store-bought sim who mostly just want to recoup losses while they "live the dream". Multiple license could bode well for a bigger operator, but make sure to estabilish the limits, for ex. if you thought you were giving a multi-license for a single location and then find out they are using it at 10 more nationally and internationally...

Custom development I believe should be paid properly and adequately on a reasonable hourly rate. Probably you might lower it if you retain right to use and sell the outcome.
 
There is someone asking for putting my scenery in full scale flight simulator in Germany.
I did what you guys advised.........
Ha ha ha.................no reply back at all.
I think the distance is the obstacle. If there is no email asking for that, no acknowledgement would happen to me. No way that I will go to Germany and do anything else.
 
jtanabodee said:
There is someone asking for putting my scenery in full scale flight simulator in Germany.
I did what you guys advised.........
Ha ha ha.................no reply back at all.
I think the distance is the obstacle. If there is no email asking for that, no acknowledgement would happen to me. No way that I will go to Germany and do anything else.
Click to expand...

Something tells me these Frankfurt dudes are talking to several developers.
 
Hey Peter, it is a good idea "a trip all paid". One month trip in Germany would be great.
But I have another job in my real life which would be ruined by that trip too.
 
pfabian said:
And you'd set the price according to the costs :)
Click to expand...

Only if you are certain about your costs. In reality, you'll only the know the actual costs once you've developed the add-in. At that time your customer may no be willing longer to pay the price!
 
I don't set a price on commercial work that doesn't cover expected/potential overruns. Quick way to go out of business.
 
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