Community member Nathan Ruyle has reached out to us asking if we would share his experiences after buying an iLok protected plug-in on line..
I just had a recent experience with an iLok software license that I thought I would share with you as a cautionary tale about purchasing software from individuals rather than a vendor.
I purchased a copy of Revibe 2 via Ebay last year and the seller transferred it to my iLok account with no problem. I’ve been using it in my mix template since then. A few days ago (7 months after it had been added to my iLok account) I got an email from iLok:
“Licenses that were deposited in error to a different iLok account and then resold to you by another iLok user were also discovered in this audit.
We’ve corrected the problem that caused these duplicate license deposits, and as part of the clean up, the duplicate licenses are now set to be returned.
The following licenses that were deposited in error were removed from your account.”
So basically some kind of error was made leaving me to figure out how to get a refund from the seller.
“Our records indicate that one or more of the licenses were purchased from another ilok.com user. Please contact the seller of each license if you wish to obtain a refund. You can find the seller’s name and other information in the email we sent to you on the transfer date. You may also try to seek a refund through any 3rd party broker, such as Ebay or PayPal. Please do not contact ilok.com support; unfortunately they will not be able to assist you.”
However Ebay only protects a purchase for 30 days so I’m out a few hundred dollars. The seller is MIA and I doubt will make it right. Lesson learned and not the end of the world. I own over $30K in software licenses so it’s a drop in the bucket but I wasn’t aware that this kind of thing was something iLok could and would do. I think knowing that can happen should raise a new level of concern for those going on Ebay to get software. I know in the past you have talked on the podcast about grabbing HD licenses from Ebay for example. In the case of this purchase the seller had a 100% positive rating with 300 sales so at the time I felt safe but clearly something fraudulent was afoot. Just thought it would be good to raise a little more awareness about the dangers of these kinds of purchases when ILok can retroactively do whatever they want with your account.
Thanks for all your hard work for the community. Keep it up!
Thanks Nathan for your kind words and bringing this issue to the front. When you get caught out it is often easier just to say nothing, so thank you for stepping up and sharing your experience.
You are correct that you have been a victim of fraud, but iLok is the innocent party here. Their responsibility is largely to the software vendors and developers who contract them to provide protection for their products. Because iLok effectively has a complete database of who owns what, they can check if licenses end up in accounts of people who shouldn’t have them and from your experience they clearly do, but they are protecting their clients, the software developers.
I would try going back to Ebay as it would appear as though you have been a victim of fraud by someone who is selling on their platform. Although they or may not be able to refund your money they do need to be aware of the tactics of people using their platform.
There have been a number of reports on social media that Pro Tools wouldn’t work because iLok Cloud Servers were affected by the Google Network congestion issues that affected Google Cloud, G Suite, and YouTube. We have the details…
PACE has offered iLok network licences for some time. Avid has announced support for network licensing is coming when they released Pro Tools 2018.1 so they can’t be far away. There are some pretty compelling reasons why licence servers are desirable in education and post facilities but to be useful they have to work in those environments. What are these requirements and does PACE’s implementation for iLok fit? Pro Tools Expert Team member Julian Rodgers is no stranger to Pro Tools in education and offers his opinion.
Exponential Audio recently announced that their Stereo Classic family of plug-ins - PhoenixVerb, R2, M7Control and Excalibur have now been expanded to include machine-based licensing in addition to conventional iLok licensing. We also cover how to change from iLok licensing to machine-based licensing and the pro and cons of machine-based and iLok based licensing.
Avid announced that they plan to offer iLok Network license support back in January 2018, but Sounds In Sync have gone one stage further and are now actually offering iLok Network Licenses for all their own products.
This tutorial is about is how to run Pro Tools without a physical iLok. Starting with Pro Tools 2018 you can now use Pro Tools without the physical iLok and instead use the iLok Cloud.
With the release of Pro Tools 2018.1 and iLok Cloud compatibility, we wanted to share in this article, up to date information about iLok Cloud compatible software and plug-ins, as we get it from brands and the community. Please be aware that this article will be updated as the information and compatibility status changes.
PACE has updated iLok License Manager ready for the iLok Cloud, but we recommend that you read this article before you update iLok License manager as it can appear as if all your licenses on your iLok have disappeared after updating to iLok License Manager v4.0.0. Don't worry, it's a simple fix and all the details are in this article.
2017 has been our first visit to AES show and it has been an excellent show. the return to New York and scheduling it from Wednesday to Friday, as well as the nature of what the Audio Engineering Society is all about, mean that this show has had a great feel and I have enjoyed this show and its format with the convention and technical paper program making it a well worth the time to come to.
PACE Anti-Piracy, Inc. introduces an entirely new approach to software license protection—iLok Cloud. With iLok Cloud, software publishers can offer their users quick and easy access to their licenses from any computer with an Internet connection. iLok Cloud has the same level of robust security as the current iLok USB smart key, which will remain as an option along with machine-based licenses.
We have been getting reports from several sources that all their iLok protected software has stopped working. The current issue is getting an Authorization Exception message. The simple fix is to make sure you are on the latest version of the iLok License Manager.
Your iLok can be worth more than it's weight in gold if you have a lot of software licenses on it. Looking after it and protecting it should be a high priority but we so often don't give it a second glance. In this article, we are going to look at a number of options to consider.
We have a number of iLok related help articles including a tutorial on Tutorial on how to use the iLok License Manager software, Setting Up Your iLok Account, The iLok License Manager And Activating Protected Software, and What Do I Do If My iLok Is Broken, Lost Or Stolen? In this article, we are going to cover some of the other iLok related problems that can crop up.
In this article, we are going to take a look at what you should do if an iLok is broken, lost or stolen. iLoks are incredibly valuable especially when you have a lot of software and plug-in licenses on them and so it is best to look after them carefully but when the unthinkable happens then this is what you should do....
Since 2013, the iLok License Manager software has been at the core of how we manage the iLok licenses, that protect a lot of the software we buy. This article and the video from Avid cover how to use the iLok License Manager software to manage for iLok licenses.
If you have never used an iLok before you will need to buy an iLok, create a free iLok account and transfer the iLok license onto your iLok or computer. Existing Pro Tools owners with Pro Tools 9 and above will have had to set up an iLok account and own an iLok as the Pro Tools Software is protected by an iLok license that is required to be on an iLok license.
New Pro Tools owners and anyone that hasn't got an iLok are advised to follow the instructions in this guide. This guide will also help if you have received an activation code from a software publisher.
PACE, the makers of iLok, are announcing the new 3rd generation iLok. Its half the size of an iLok2, its twice as fast as the iLok2 and can hold 3 times as many licenses as the second generation iLok.
Got Pro Tools installed on more than one computer? Find yourself swapping iLok and Waves USB hubs between your systems? Got an Arm / Linux based NAS server? Want to be able to use your Pro Tools anywhere in the world, even if you've left you iLok behind? Alan Sallabank takes a look at the VirtualHere Server.
Anyone who opens their iLok License Manager, as I did this morning, should be presented with this rather unfriendly warning that you need to update your License manager software.
Community member Michael Boettcher wrote to us to tell us about his experience of Ebay problems when buying iLok licences.
As you can imagine life at Pro Tools Expert can get complicated when running a Pro Tools computer. We test a lot of gear, that includes hardware and it also includes more than one Mac. Right now I have a Mac Pro running El Capitan and a Mac Mini running Pro Tools on Yosemite for testing which I have to jump between, so I wanted to find a solution that gave me the greatest flexibility with the minimum of pain. A few things needed addressing, screen, keyboard and mouse sharing, audio and MIDI input and also plug-in licences, this is the solution I came up with.
iLok have updated their website to respond to user concerns about getting information. It includes; A cleaner UI and routes to info, Easier to use supports tools, Better store experience and New how-to videos - what is ZDT and TLC
Community member Nathan Ruyle has reached out to us asking if we would share his experiences after buying an iLok protected plug-in on line.. I just had a recent experience with an iLok software license that I thought I would share with you as a cautionary tale about purchasing software from individuals rather than a vendor.
An issue that has not well publicised is that 2nd generation iLoks (iLok2) can have issues with USB3 ports on newer Macs. The fault can sometimes be replicated by unplugging the iLok after successfully using it, then plugging it back in again, after that, the iLok will light up but may not be detected by any application that needs to access it (this is obviously more of a problem for laptop users). The workaround is to plug it in via a certified USB2 hub (even one of the ports on an Apple keyboard will do).
Following a question in Podcast 81 from Michael Lux asking now to get a copy of Pro Tools 11HD software, because he wanted the surround features that are now only available in Pro Tools HD. We talked about how it was possible to buy it secondhand but that the seller would need to put it on an iLok and send the buyer the iLok as Avid have now blocked transferring Pro Tools HD licenses from one iLok account to another. In the podcast we also discussed how the iLok would show up on the buyer’s iLok License Manager.
Mike showed his modified iLoks at the end of his post about how to label iLoks, and a number of the community have asked where you can get the Star Wars caps from.
Did you know you could label your iLok? Take a look at the photo above. On the underside of an iLok is a little button, if you push that in and then pull the translucent collar, the collar will come off to reveal a grey plastic area which you can write on.
A first look at the new iLok Licence Manager App for Mac and PC. Manage your iLok from your desktop and more!
To access and manage our iLok licenses users for many years now have used a web browser and a special extension, which worked well, but has been plagued with browser compatibility issues, especially with Firefox which hasn’t been supported for quite a while now, and there have been a number of things we couldn’t do like delete expired demo licenses.
Software protection gets a bad rap on the whole, not just from those trying to find ways to get software by not paying for it, but also from those who have paid for the software but sometimes find themselves locked out of our own software because the protection isn’t working as it should.
In this week’s podcast we had a question from Craig Shimmon about recommendations for how to make iLoks secure in a computer lab environment. I had two suggestions, a diecast box which Neil Hester suggested trashing the lid screws once fitted and screwed to the desk, or a product called a Roklocker. We have had an excellent solution which takes my diecast box idea and moves it on many stages to an excellent solution and so with Neil and Fred’s permission we bring you the Fredbox Mk 2. They also offer an improvement to my our ideas for a Mac Pro.