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IP.Board Demo License Key Revoked

Two days ago, we received a mail from Lindy Throgmartin, CEO of IP.Board, asking us to remove the IP.Board demo, our license key being revoked.

Apparently, you cannot do whatever you want with their software, including letting unknown users accessing the Administration Panel. Indeed, he argues the demo was not updated for a long time (this is wrong, we updated it the 28th of April), and second, that our license key was stolen and used somewhere else.

First, Invision Power is regularly checking the matching between license keys and URLs (thank you for privacy), which makes it really easy to track bad usages of license keys and to disable a forum with a single click in their user management tool.

Second, a license key number is not what you paid for, you paid for a service, so this license key should be regenerated within a single click in case of theft, and the previous one should simply be revoked.

Anyway, fortunately, this was a demo forum, nothing critical, but I would not be happy if one day I would receive such an email as a big community administrator, telling me I have 24 hours to migrate my content, users and so on to a new forum software, just because Invision Power decided to make your life harder. Think about this twice before using proprietary software, as IP.Board.

For the time being though, no more IP.Board demo, but, fortunately, you still have many additional great software to test: XenForo, MyBB, vBulletin, SMF, phpBB,...

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Comments (15)

This is why people should

This is why people should avoid anything from IPS. Not only is their software bloated like hell and nobody there has a clue about SEO, but they also doesn't respect the privacy of their customers and violate their own ToS.

IPS is slowly becoming IB v2.

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I completely sympathise and

I completely sympathise and can truly relate to your situation.

Invision Power Services Inc (IPS) who develops IP Board (IPB) is in my opinion and experience is managed more with a "high school mentality" rather than a professional business mentality. If you happen to say anything negative and bring to light any issues publicly (free speech), you have a good chance as you have discovered, to have your copy of IPB revoked.

Of course companies and businesses would like you to believe they can end your license on a whim of their mercy, but depending on where you live, some laws may supersede their "whim". Just a little info for those who may face such a problem and may choose to fight wrongful matters. Wink

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I've been using their

I've been using their products for near a decade now and have said both positive and negative things in reference to their software and have never had a license revoked. So for someone to claim that IPS revokes a license if someone 'speaks out' against them is an outright lie. If someone tries to tell you otherwise, then you can bet money that there's more to the story that they aren't telling you, just so that they look like a victim. From the sounds of what happened here (the FSR entry), there is obviously more to it but it's summarized here, but this doesn't look to be a case of someone speaking out and getting a license revoked for it.

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I disagree. IPB does not

I disagree. IPB does not encourage free speech. If your opinion is strongly worded enough or brings to light issues that the company would prefer not to be public, expect them to cancel your copy of IPB. This is not the only site I have seen this happen here. A quick Google search proves that.

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IPS (not IPB as that is a

IPS (not IPB as that is a product, not the company) is a private entity and is therefore entitled to filter content, as with all privately owned companies. Despite that though, I have seen many topics over the years where someone was complaining, publicly and on the company forums, in such a way that it was on the edge of bashing the company, yet the member was met with respectful replies by the IPS staff. If you believe a quick Google search proves it, then provide links that show results of topics on the IPS company forums that are no longer available.

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Forget their company forums.

Forget their company forums. If you have a topic on your own site that is viewed as negative toward IP Board or Invision Power and they dislike enough. You will have problems. I agree with what everyone else has said. IPS does not like freedom of speech. Not even on your own site.

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It's easy to twist the facts

It's easy to twist the facts and make claims against a company on an individual site outside that company's control. Years ago, I was a bit of a PITA and got banned from the IPS company forums and went onto another site (where people could get 3rd party products for IPB and the add-ons) and spoke out there. There was no question as to who I was nor any need to doubt that it was really me. Despite that, and I'm very certain that it was seen by IPS staff, I never got any contact that was canceling nor threatening to cancel my licenses. I exercised freedom of speech somewhere that it would have made a difference and nothing happened to me. If they were doing as you claim, they most certainly would have done it to me, but yet that never happened. Didn't get any sort of an email from anyone at IPS even 'hinting' that I should refrain from speaking out. So you'll understand my having doubts of that happening to others.

For anyone it has happened to, I could probably bet money that there's more to the story that's being left out to make them seem like a victim. I've seen all too often where someone will go around claiming that someone or some company was, for lack of a better term, a bully towards them and suddenly that 'victim' is getting tons of sympathetic support until more details come out and it's learned that they either outright lied or at the very least withheld some extremely important facts that make a significant difference in the situation.

If you want to still insist that what you said is really happening, then provide links to prove it. Make sure that the whole truth is being told though.

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Invision Power Services Inc

Invision Power Services Inc (IPS) who develops IP Board (IPB) is in my opinion and experience is managed more with a "high school mentality" rather than a professional business mentality.

If you happen to say anything negative and bring to light any issues publicly (free speech), you have a good chance as you have discovered, to have your copy of IPB revoked.

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Example?

Example?

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Thanks for the post! I am on

Thanks for the post! I am on this website to compare some forums right now, personally I am a phpBB guy, but I like vBulliton as well. I had rarely used IP.Board but it is shocking that your key has been removed, they have lost my business!

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Keep in mind that none of us

Keep in mind that none of us know all the details from both sides, so I wouldn't jump to a hasty decision. I've been using IPS products for near a decade and haven't had any licenses revoked.

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Just to be clear on this: The

Just to be clear on this:

The key to this site owner was a DONATION -- it was not a purchased key and this site was never a customer. Software and the key was provided as a courtesy and one condition was that the software be maintained.

The software was NOT maintained -- it was several versions out of date and the information on the website itself hadn't been updated since v3.1. The demo was 3.2. This is a poor reflection on the capabilities of the software and against the spirit in which the software was donated to begin with.

Secondly, the owner of this site failed to maintain the security of the license and allowed the key to be used by a third person.

That is why the key was revoked.

I can count on two hands the number of times we have revoked a license in the past decade and it has almost always been for license agreement violations. If "Sir Adam" would like to bring his license revocation public, it is worth mentioning for others that using the support community to obtain access to another customer's site, downloading their database and importing into your community under false pretenses would constitute a violation of the license agreement which states the software may not be used for unlawful purposes.

No conspiracy here. Smile

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Lindy Throgmartin, that is an

Lindy Throgmartin, that is an outright lie. The demo here was current. I had used it only days before this post.

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@Lindy Thank's for making

@Lindy
Thank's for making this "revoking issue" very clear, stating your current policy and dismissing any "conspiracy" against free speech! At first I got really worried when reading this negative thread against IPS, but when reading your answer I understood the situation, and why you acted as you did (we would have done the same btw in a similar situation).
This really influenced my decision to come back to IPS from vB Smile

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Next time, do not put the key

Next time, do not put the key in the ACP. IPS is always in the domain database which is used for the key.

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