Insuring your iLok licenses...

[jdjustice]

I have just purchased a bunch of plug-ins that use the iLok for authorizations. The purchases included a bundle from WAVES.

Waves states on their website that they WILL NOT re-authorize in the case of a lost or stolen iLok. They recommend insuring the iLok and the licenses on it.

Does anyone have experience with this? What kind of insurance agent/company does this? I would guess that few insurance agents have heard of an iLok; how would they give you a reasonable quote on a $40 dongle?

If there is anyone on these forums who has their iLok insured, your response and experience would be greatly appreciated. I imagine there is more than $2k worth of authorizations on my iLok and I need to get it insured. But with who? And how?

Thanks in advance,
J.D.

[thejook]

Gotta say, what a bunch of shmucks at Waves.

Not cool. Registered users should be able to re-authorize if such a loss occurs. It's not like hardware that costs the manufacturer to replace.

I'd imagine if you bought it with AMEX though that it's already covered?

[jdjustice]

Originally Posted by thejook

I'd imagine if you bought it with AMEX though that it's already covered?

Well I bought the Waves plugs from Sweetwater on their Platinum card.... in retrospect I probably should have used AMEX... however with the Sweetwater card I can take some time to pay and with AMEX it's the bill paid in full every month....

I am going to call the company that handles my home insurance today and see what kind of rate they would require to add my iLok and its software licenses to my house policy. Unfortunately I bet that even if I can get them covered for a reasonable price that the deductible for such a claim would be rather high...

We'll find out soon hopefully; until then I have chained the iLok to my workstation.. it's a project studio, but just for me.. no one else uses it so it should be safe for the time being.. when I go into the studio in a couple of months I will worry then as I wish to carry my licenses with me if I can...

Cheers

J.D.

You can purchase ilok insurance from ilok.
I think it is $30 bucks a year.

As I recall, you get another ilok and when your breaks they temp license the replacment until they recieve the broken one and then they fully license it.


I have no idea what happens if it is lost of stolen.
Obviously, if you have 2 you can just transfer the license to the other for free.
As long as you are the owner of both.



D

[Whitecat]

Originally Posted by dpasch

You can purchase ilok insurance from ilok.
I think it is $30 bucks a year.

As I recall, you get another ilok and when your breaks they temp license the replacment until they recieve the broken one and then they fully license it.

Waves doesn't use ilok.com and thus the ZDT coverage you've described doesn't apply to Waves licenses. In the event of a technical problem with an iLok with Waves assets on it you have to send said iLok back to Waves, not iLok, and it's up to them from there.

Most vendors that use iLok.com will replace lost/stolen licenses, AFAIK, but I'm sure you'd have to file a police report if it were a high-value claim. Waves, however, will not - lose the iLok, you're SOL.

[Doublehelix]

Waves sucks!

dfegad WAVES

[ProPower]

Insurance for your equipment (plugs, computer, instruments) is fundamental!

When I started out I tried to put this on my homeowners policy. The rules were simple. Any musical equipment that was ever used for professional use was EXCLUDED from my policy! This was the start of getting specific insurance for gear. If you haven't ever done it, taking a real inventory of everything you have that is related to studio or live playing and it is remarkable how much "value" we are talking. In the event of a total loss (without insurance) I would be devestated for years! OK... rant over....

The ilok at $30 is hardly considerable but the licenses on it can easily add up to many thousands of dollars! I have two iloks (waves and others). The WAVES one is just for waves plugs. Waves does not use ilok ZDT features and so must be kept seperate. Only waves can "replace" a damaged ilok. Also once waves goes on an ilok I don't know ANY way to ever get it OFF. FWIW, Doesn't ZDT just cover getting temp authorizations back on your handy backup ilok? From there is there a process to get the real licenses all re-instated?

So, get real coverage for your plugs as well as all your other stuff (several past threads on this).
Soapbox removed,

-Lee

[rhythmmaster]

I've always wondered if i can buy one copy of Waves SSL and have the licence on 2 ikoks? 1 for the studio and one to use on a laptop when i travel? Is this possible?

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by dpasch

You can purchase ilok insurance from ilok.
I think it is $30 bucks a year.

As I recall, you get another ilok and when your breaks they temp license the replacment until they recieve the broken one and then they fully license it.





D

I have three iLoks, but I also have zero downtime. Yeah, Waves, huh. I don't get it. Are any plugins that good?

[jdjustice]

Originally Posted by rhythmmaster

I've always wondered if i can buy one copy of Waves SSL and have the licence on 2 ikoks? 1 for the studio and one to use on a laptop when i travel? Is this possible?

No. You can't even transfer the license to another iLok that you own and that is on the same account!!

[XSergeantD]

I don't see how everyone is all pissed at Waves for chosing not to replace a stolen Ilok. When my Jeep was stolen I didn't call up Chrysler and ask them to give me a new one. If I drop a $20 on the street I don't call the US Govt and ask them to send me a new one.

You can be pissed at Waves for their other policies, but I think they are handling the lost/stolen ILok properly. Would you be also be pissed if in order to find lost/stolen stolen ILoks we had to sync up with waves.com once a month or so? Maybe we can seriously recommend this Waves, but I'm sure people would bitch about that too. I think there are plenty of other reasons to hate waves other than not replacing a stolen ILok.

I'm trying to figure out how to make a safety ILok so I have all my stuff if ours gets damaged so we would really have ZERO downtime

[Diablo]

I use these guys for my music insurance.

http://www.clarionins.com/default.aspx

I asked them specifically about plugins and they said they were covered, so I printed out a copy of my iLok authorizations for them. I haven't had to file a claim, but I have read good things about them here on Gearslutz. Do a search.

[Tim Abraham]

If you're a member of the AF of M, you can cover your iLok authorizations through the union's musical instrument policy (I'm in Canada, so it may be different in the U.S., since the insurance company is different, I believe). Give Sandra Sween a holler:

Sandra Sween
Insurance Broker
Musical Instrument Insurance Dept.
Unity Insurance Brokers(Windsor)Ltd.
ssween@unitygrouponline.com
1-800-563-9441 ext. 253

[jdjustice]

Originally Posted by Diablo

I use these guys for my music insurance.

http://www.clarionins.com/default.aspx

Originally Posted by Tim Abraham

If you're a member of the AF of M, you can cover your iLok authorizations through the union's musical instrument policy (I'm in Canada, so it may be different in the U.S., since the insurance company is different, I believe). Give Sandra Sween a holler:

Sandra Sween
Insurance Broker
Musical Instrument Insurance Dept.
Unity Insurance Brokers(Windsor)Ltd.
ssween@unitygrouponline.com
1-800-563-9441 ext. 253

Thanks guys for the referrals and information. I am still working on finding out whether my homeowner's insurance will cover my software licenses.. if they can't or it doesn't pan out in some way I will definitely check out both these sources.

Cheers,

J.D.

[bob katz]

Originally Posted by dpasch

You can purchase ilok insurance from ilok.
I think it is $30 bucks a year.

As I recall, you get another ilok and when your breaks they temp license the replacment until they recieve the broken one and then they fully license it.


I have no idea what happens if it is lost of stolen.
Obviously, if you have 2 you can just transfer the license to the other for free.
As long as you are the owner of both.



D

This covers everyone EXCEPT Waves. I had a broken Ilok and got all the auths replaced with Ilok.com EXCEPT for the Waves. Waves, however, was very responsive and gave me a temporary challenge-response authorization so I was back up immediately. And if I recall correctly, Ilok.com was able to give me temporary auth, or else I had to wait about 48 hours. I can't remember because mostly my plugins are Waves and that's about all I use currently if I ever use Plugins. The Algorithmix uses WIBU-Key, another authorization dongle.

Then, after the Ilok key came, it was not a problem reauthorizing through Waves. This is a catch-22, while it annoyed me that I had to go to another party to get the Ilok auth finished it pleased me that I was able to get back up and going with challenge/response.

Total downtime about 48 hours including Fedex.

Insurance only works if the downtime is completely reduced and it isn't. You still have to send the broken ilok back to Ilok. Only an EXPENSIVE, fully authorized backup ilok can protect you from a broken ilok with no downtime. A stolen Ilok is another issue and I'd like to hear some experiences about that; I don't know how insurance covers that.

I also think that all plugin vendors or anyone using Ilok as an autho scheme should have an emergency period of say 5-7 days where you can re-enable the full capabilities of the plugin if you lose your Ilok. That would be imminently fair and protect all parties concerned. Currently the users are the losers.

BK

[jdjustice]

Originally Posted by bob katz

Then, after the Ilok key came, it was not a problem reauthorizing through Waves. This is a catch-22, while it annoyed me that I had to go to another party to get the Ilok auth finished it pleased me that I was able to get back up and going with challenge/response.

Waves states on their website that a broken or stolen iLok will NOT be reauthorized except at their discretion on a case-by-case basis. They recommend insurance, stating that it is necessary (if your iLok is even just broken) to re-purchase any plugs that were on the broken/stolen iLok.

Do you think you got such excellent customer service because you are Bob Katz, Mastering Engineer, or do you think an average joe such as myself would receive the same fair treatment?

J.D.

Waves doesn't use ilok.com

My WAVES does. Just bought an upgrade and it required it.



D

[Mark Warren]

Originally Posted by XSergeantD

When my Jeep was stolen I didn't call up Chrysler and ask them to give me a new one. If I drop a $20 on the street I don't call the US Govt and ask them to send me a new one.

LOL! That's the quote of the week right there, that's a good one!

[treymonfauntre]

too bad a car and a $20 bill are tangible items, and authorization codes can easily be duplicated.

Originally Posted by XSergeantD

I don't see how everyone is all pissed at Waves for chosing not to replace a stolen Ilok. When my Jeep was stolen I didn't call up Chrysler and ask them to give me a new one. If I drop a $20 on the street I don't call the US Govt and ask them to send me a new one.

You can be pissed at Waves for their other policies, but I think they are handling the lost/stolen ILok properly. Would you be also be pissed if in order to find lost/stolen stolen ILoks we had to sync up with waves.com once a month or so? Maybe we can seriously recommend this Waves, but I'm sure people would bitch about that too. I think there are plenty of other reasons to hate waves other than not replacing a stolen ILok.

I'm trying to figure out how to make a safety ILok so I have all my stuff if ours gets damaged so we would really have ZERO downtime

Neither your Jeep nor your $20 are placed on a plastic key that's subject to being broken at some point.

[Whitecat]

Originally Posted by dpasch

My WAVES does. Just bought an upgrade and it required it.

They require an iLok - not ilok.com, as in, the website, which has all sorts of other features like ZDT insurance and license transfers. They [Waves] have their own 'authorizer,' no?

[soapbox]

Originally Posted by bob katz

I had a broken Ilok and got all the auths replaced with Ilok.com EXCEPT for the Waves. Waves, however, was very responsive and gave me a temporary challenge-response authorization so I was back up immediately.

Bob, do you recall what version of Waves you were using when your iLok broke?

I ask because my understanding is that, as of version 5, Waves no longer offers challenge/response. (I'd love to be wrong about this.)

Thanks.

Best,

Geoff

[XSergeantD]

NO SSL YET and TREYMONFAUNTRE, You guys have apparently missed the entire subject of this post. "...Waves states on their website that they WILL NOT re-authorize in the case of a lost or stolen iLok...". The post was not questioning a broken ILok and I didn't mention a broken Jeep or a torn $20. My discussion has to do with a lost or stolen authorization. Waves will repair a damaged/broken authorization. But the post is about stolen authorizations. Are you saying we can all just call Waves and say our ILoks were stolen give me a new one now dammit.
OK, you're not saying that, but this is what Waves and/or any other manufacturers lost/stolen property policy tries their best to avoid.

[Whitecat]

Originally Posted by XSergeantD

You guys have apparently missed the entire subject of this post. "...Waves states on their website that they WILL NOT re-authorize in the case of a lost or stolen iLok...". The post was not questioning a broken ILok and I didn't mention a broken Jeep or a torn $20.

I understood ya.

[soapbox]

Originally Posted by no ssl yet

Neither your Jeep nor your $20 are placed on a plastic key that's subject to being broken at some point.

Furthermore, the iLok is more analogous to the Jeep's lock, not the Jeep itself. If an iLok gets damaged or stolen, the program it unlocks is still in your possession.

In fact, the program you paid for didn't even include an iLok (in most cases). You had to buy it separately. That aspect of this scenario alone, blows any manufacturer's argument that the iLok is the physical embodiment of its product.

Best,

Geoff

[Whitecat]

Originally Posted by soapbox

Bob, do you recall what version of Waves you were using when your iLok broke?

I ask because my understanding is that, as of version 5, Waves no longer offers challenge/response. (I'd love to be wrong about this.)

I'm not Bob, but here you go, from the Waves FAQ:


Any defective iLok key that contains Waves authorization should be sent directly to Pace.
Please follow the Pace Anti-Piracy RMA policy and procedure at:
https://www.ilok.com/cgi-bin/WebObje...dPage?page=RMA


Pace will examine your defective iLok key and will send Waves approval of deficiency.
Once Waves receive that approval, we will reset the relevant bundle’s authorization in your
Waves online account and will send you a notification email.
You will then be able to authorize your new iLok key.
Some exceptions apply and may require additional information.


In order to eliminate any downtime on your end – we will give you a time limited HD authorization
so you can keep working on your projects while your iLok key is being sent to Pace.


To receive a temporary HD authorization for your product\s you will need
to send us the following information:

1. An incident number you receive from Pace when following the RMA procedure.
2. Your defective iLok serial number.
3. Challenge\s from your Waves HD authorizer.


To generate the challenges please double click the Waves relevant
HD authorizer on your production computer.

V5.0

OS-X: Hard Drive > Application > Waves > Authorizers > Authorizer 5.0
PC: Start Menu > (All) Programs > Waves > Waves 5.0 Authorizer - (Choose HD).
On the next page you might need to choose 'Waves 5.0'.

[soapbox]

Thanks, terminal3!

Best,

Geoff

[McPhaul]

Originally Posted by XSergeantD

I don't see how everyone is all pissed at Waves for chosing not to replace a stolen Ilok. When my Jeep was stolen I didn't call up Chrysler and ask them to give me a new one. If I drop a $20 on the street I don't call the US Govt and ask them to send me a new one.

But if I loose my membership card to the gym or the video store they will issue a new card and I'm back in business. The iLock is a safety feature not the product. If the iLock is lost or stolen it should be more like the loss of a membership card or at worst like a new house key. I don't have to buy a new house just because my kid lost his house key do I?

[XSergeantD]

Originally Posted by McPhaul

But if I loose my membership card to the gym or the video store they will issue a new card and I'm back in business. The iLock is a safety feature not the product. If the iLock is lost or stolen it should be more like the loss of a membership card or at worst like a new house key. I don't have to buy a new house just because my kid lost his house key do I?

Actually that is the product you place on the ILok key. All dowload/installers are available for free at Waves download page.
And those analogies aren't valid as a comparrison as you can't take a stolen/lost house key and stick it into any house and gain entry where as a stolen ILok will unlock the software and allow use without any problems and nobody would ever know where that stolen ILok is being used

[WidgetNinja]

Originally Posted by XSergeantD

Actually that is the product you place on the ILok key.

Reeeaaaalllly?!

So, If I can hack the I-Lok feature, I mean product, my usage and distribution of said binaries should not rub waves the wrong way? They're just spontaneous bits that sound cool when your computer has an I-LOK.

Well I need to switch areas of development then!

Losing your authorization is like losing your car keys. I can show you my ID, you can check with DMV, but nobody can tell if you didn't really sell it yesterday and are trying to steal it back. The cops in my area won't open your car. AAA will though.

That at any point Waves did not have a clear "AAA" partner is pathetic at best.