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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Question about a Software purchase	Matthew	Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Question: Brother Ignatius, I hate to be a pest with all of these questions but i have one more regarding software. I try and do everything for the glory of God and i renounce any sort of illegal software that i've owned in the past. I'm a Graphic Designer and for several years i've had an illegal copy of Adobe Photoshop, which is a $600 program. Just today i decided that i should get rid of it since it was an illegal item and not on the "up and up." I decided to go on Ebay and see if i could actually purchase one. I found one that someone is selling for $150, it has the registration, still sealed in box, but the seller says it is an "educational version." He was involved in education at one time and bought a bulk of these and never used them all so is now selling them. I thought it was a good deal so i bought one, certainly i'd rather pay $150 than $600-700. My question is...I know that sometimes promotional and educational items say "Not to be sold." I thought of that after i hit "buy". When it comes in the mail, if it says "Not to be sold" on it...Is that my sin or the seller's? Sorry for such nit-picky questions, but i take my faith seriously, i'm sure you can tell. God Bless Brother.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Matthew: I suppose as a Graphic Designer you need the full version of Photoshop. I use Photoshop Elements (costs around $80) which does everything I need it to do (but then I am not a professional Graphic Designer). It is a bold and faithful step for someone like yourself who needs Photoshop to get rid of a illegal copy. God will honor you for this. As for the copy you purchased on eBay, do not worry about the "Not to be sold" notice if it has one. The Educational versions are sold -- to students and faculty. Educational versions are not to be sold in retail stores. The "Not to be Sold" notice is referring to a prohibition to sell it in retail stores. Once you personally own any software you can sell it to someone else--the license then transfers to the buyer. A private individual selling his software must sell to the buyer the the original disk (with registration numbers) and not a pirated copy, and he must remove the software licensed to that disk from his own computer. What you bought on eBay is the software in its original unopened box so you are getting the original disk with registration. It should be okay. By the way, this "educational version" may not have all the bells and whistles of the full retail version. Oftentimes the educational editions are cut-down versions of the software. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Question about a Software purchase

Matthew

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Question:

Brother Ignatius,

I hate to be a pest with all of these questions but i have one more regarding software. I try and do everything for the glory of God and i renounce any sort of illegal software that i've owned in the past. I'm a Graphic Designer and for several years i've had an illegal copy of Adobe Photoshop, which is a $600 program. Just today i decided that i should get rid of it since it was an illegal item and not on the "up and up."

I decided to go on Ebay and see if i could actually purchase one. I found one that someone is selling for $150, it has the registration, still sealed in box, but the seller says it is an "educational version." He was involved in education at one time and bought a bulk of these and never used them all so is now selling them. I thought it was a good deal so i bought one, certainly i'd rather pay $150 than $600-700.

My question is...I know that sometimes promotional and educational items say "Not to be sold." I thought of that after i hit "buy". When it comes in the mail, if it says "Not to be sold" on it...Is that my sin or the seller's? Sorry for such nit-picky questions, but i take my faith seriously, i'm sure you can tell. God Bless Brother.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Matthew:

I suppose as a Graphic Designer you need the full version of Photoshop. I use Photoshop Elements (costs around $80) which does everything I need it to do (but then I am not a professional Graphic Designer).

It is a bold and faithful step for someone like yourself who needs Photoshop to get rid of a illegal copy. God will honor you for this.

As for the copy you purchased on eBay, do not worry about the "Not to be sold" notice if it has one. The Educational versions are sold -- to students and faculty. Educational versions are not to be sold in retail stores. The "Not to be Sold" notice is referring to a prohibition to sell it in retail stores.

Once you personally own any software you can sell it to someone else--the license then transfers to the buyer. A private individual selling his software must sell to the buyer the the original disk (with registration numbers) and not a pirated copy, and he must remove the software licensed to that disk from his own computer.

What you bought on eBay is the software in its original unopened box so you are getting the original disk with registration. It should be okay.

By the way, this "educational version" may not have all the bells and whistles of the full retail version. Oftentimes the educational editions are cut-down versions of the software.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum