You should be clear about what you are allowed to do with your program.  You can check this from your initial MYOB user guide and paperwork.

We think the key clause is as follows.

MYOB Technology Pty Ltd (the publisher), through its local publishers and distribution agents, hereby grants to you, the original purchaser, a paid up, personal, non-exclusive and non-transferable Licence to use the software and the User Documentation only in the region, territory or country specified on the packaging, or in the United Kingdom and Eire, subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement

There are no conditions or time limits.  However all licence holders need to be clear that they could damage their rights under the licence if they breach clause g which requires you not to engage in 'unauthorised copying or distribution of the program...'.

Nowhere else in the licence is there any agreement or escape for the publisher to withdraw the licence, or render the software unuseable to the buyer. The misuse of Digital Rights Management facilities in the software has allowed MYOB to potentially breach its side of this agreement.  Clearly the licence is issued by the Australian legal entity, through its selling agents (ie. Mamut).  Mamut claim that with the withdrawal of MYOB from the UK market there is no alternative but for the existing users to move to another program.  

However there is another answer - join the Association and accept our confirmation codes to allow you to continue.




Mamut Licence


Mamut has portrayed its own software as a continuation product for MYOB.  However licence terms are a potential issue for any MYOB user considering moving to Mamut products. This includes those considering Mamut Mac products which will upgrade a British MYOB datafile.  Since March 2010 the Mamut licences have been sold in place of the MYOB ones... the new licences are considerably more restrictive.


The full licence is visible External link opens in new tab or windowhere.  In this mammoth agreement the current distributor of MYOB products grants itself the right to extinguish licences. The key clauses are:

You are granted a personal, extinguishable, non-exclusive and limited license in respect of the software, provided that you have paid the agreed license fee and comply with the provisions below. The license granted is subject to the following terms and conditions:

...One license for the software does only give you the right to install and use the software on one single computer, workstation, terminal, handheld PC or other digital electronic storage and/or communications device, in respect of which you have a right of disposition...

...Mamut has a right, but no obligation, to perform automatic updating of your Mamut software via the Internet, irrespective of whether you have a valid Mamut Service Agreement. Such updating may take place without further notification...

...Your right to use the software with appurtenant documentation may be conditional up you having a valid Mamut Service Agreement with Mamut, and limited to the period when the Service Agreement remains in operation. What software licenses are subject to a mandatory requirement for a Mamut Service Agreement is specified in the product description posted on the Mamut homepage...

...The license fee is specified, together with the annual fee for the Mamut Service Agreement, on the Mamut homepage. The validity period of the Mamut Service Agreement for the relevant customer is specified in the Mamut software of such customer...

These are key reasons why MYOB users can consider their existing licence superior.  The MYOB licence is in no sense a rental, as is implied by the Mamut agreement that is being offered as an alternative.



Mamut Accountedge (AE) sold without a service charge


There has been concern from Apple about the nature of the Mamut licence.  In reaction Mamut made it possible to buy and register Mamut software for the Mac without making a commitment to paying a service charge. This was marketted by Mamut as a continuation product for MYOB.


The software is currently sold on this basis in the UK only by Boscown:  http://accounting.enstore.com/browse/1

There are two problems.  The licence terms are objectively more restrictive.  But there is also the nature of the licencing software within the upgraded Mac software.  This was written to periodically reconfirm the datafile against Mamut's list of active payers.   The licence terms do not require Mamut to upgrade your AE software.  The usergroup fears that if you make this upgrade you may be vulnerable if the confirmation software is turned off by Mamut.  If this happens the software will not work.  Your records cannot be viewed, even in a read-only state.
Please bear in mind that the Mamut software is not available on the Applestore: http://store.apple.com/uk/search?find=accountedge



Your MYOB Licence


Much of the rancor has been caused by the apparent breaking of promises given by the various parties.  Here for example was the relevant page from the MYOB.co.uk website in 2009.  Phrases like 'won't ever charge a fee for the process of validating your company file' simply haven't been met.  Talk of the 'escrow arrangement for the activation/confirmation software' was a simple distraction from the truth.


Q: How can I be sure that MYOB won't use the activation/confirmation service to force me to upgrade my software?

A: The process of activation/confirmation is independent of any changes to the software in the future. MYOB will continue to confirm a particular version of the software for a minimum period of 6 years from the first release of the 2004 versions of the MYOB accounting software. We believe that this is a generous period given the substantial changes to business regulations and processes that occur in that period. We believe that every business will have changed their business needs, their software and their computer system during this period.

Q: How can I be sure that MYOB won't at some point in the future choose to charge for the process of validation?

A: MYOB won't ever charge a fee for the process of validating your company file. To do so would go against our company values and damage our good reputation.

Q: What happens if MYOB goes out of business?

A: MYOB is a public company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. As such it operates under considerable regulatory review. MYOB does not have any debt, is cash-flow positive, and presently has cash and investments of around US$30M. As such, MYOB is a solid organization that operates from a firm financial footing.

For further information about the MYOB group and its financial strength, see our MYOB Investor Relations area.

As further assurance to customers, MYOB is in the process of investigating an escrow arrangement for the activation/confirmation software. This means that this code is in the hands of a trusted and reputable third party. In the unlikely event of MYOB being placed into liquidation or administration, the code would be available to generate the necessary unlock codes.