Article
25 April 2006

Team licensing explained

Currently, for each full version of Visual Liturgy, only three additional user licences are allowed, with each extra licence costing £25. With the arrival of the new subscription model, a new team licensing scheme is being introduced to replace the old additional user licence model.

Because the Church has changed a lot since the old additional user licence model was introduced, the cap of three licences doesn’t work for most churches these days. As a result, the new team licensing scheme will remove the cap so that Visual Liturgy can be installed on any number of computers within a parish or team ministry.

The team licensing scheme will also introduce a new pricing system for such licences. The cost of a team licence will be based on the average adult weekly attendance of a church. This should mean a fairer system where larger churches will pay more than smaller churches.

David Green, New Media Manager for Church House Publishing, and the Visual Liturgy Project Manager, said:

“We believe this is a far more equitable scheme for all concerned. Churches will be familiar with the model from the CCLI and others and it does mean that larger churches, which usually want to have more licensed users, pay more than smaller churches. For Church House Publishing, it means that we continue to see an income stream to support the Visual Liturgy project from team licence holders in the long term and, as a result, can safeguard the project for all our users. I think this new scheme will empower churches to put VL on the machines of the people who need it and that can only be good for them and for us.”

How it works…

On purchase of a full version on CD-ROM for £125.00 or an upgrade for £52.00 (both of which include the cost of your first year of subscription in the price), you install and register your copy on the first machine.

During the installation and registration process, you can choose to purchase a team licence for your copy, giving you the ability to install on extra machines. To enable the software as a team version, you will need to pay a premium based on the size of your church.

In subsequent years, if you continue your subscription, you will pay the regular annual subscription (£52) plus a team licence premium, again with the freedom to install on as many machines as necessary. The table below outlines the cost of additional team licences according to church size.

Example 1:
A small church of 20 people wishes to use Visual Liturgy on a number of machines. They pay £125.00 initially to buy Visual Liturgy, plus a £20.00 premium in their first year for the team licence. They then pay a total of £57.00 in subsequent years (£52.00 annual subscription + £5.00 team licence fee) to continue subscribing as a church with the freedom to install on as many machines as necessary.

Example 2:
A group of four churches that together have an average weekly attendance of 450 buy an upgrade CD-ROM. They pay £52.00 for the upgrade, install and register it. They then purchase a team licence, which costs £75.00 for the first year because they are a large church in the 250 to 499 bracket. The following year, they continue their subscription to Visual Liturgy and their team licence, and pay a total of £97.00 (£53.00 + £45.00).

Questions and Answers

What is a valid organization for buying a team licence?
The following list will be recognized as being valid holders of a full version of Visual Liturgy for which additional licences may be purchased.

1. An individual church within a parish or team ministry
2. A parish or team ministry
3. A cathedral
4. Theological training institutions
5. A diocesan office / bishop's office
6. A charitable organization
7. Chaplaincies (serving an organisation within a single or multiple locations)
8. A company

If you are a deanery, diocese or another group situation that is not on the list please contact us to discuss your options for team licensing. 

What about the old licences? They promised to be valid for ever.
The legal agreement made by the old additional licence cannot be revoked. If you wish to continue using the old licence and not be involved in the team licence scheme, you are at liberty to continue doing so. However, the cap on the number of licences remains in place and no further licences will be sold under the old scheme.

What do you think of the new plans for VL?
Have your say in the Discussion Forums

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