The new system sounds modern and I’m happy to use Desktop and Mobile without any deregistration/registration.
To check every 30 days saves our product against piracy, my thoughts.
As I remember, the actual dongle based License Agreement allow users to install Cuabse 3 times on their own machines. E.g. to connect the dongle to a a friends computer is not allowed.
Arturia uses the ASC (Arturia Software Centre) for Online Activation of their software.
And at every start of one of their software there is a check, if the license is valid.
So, at least Arturia does use a very similar system…
You can check it with a TCP/IP viewer.
My arturia works without network. But I don’t know for how long. I might have a long grace period for network disconnection.
So we honest, paying customers should have more difficulties. Let’s talk about logic (no pun intended) here.
I don’t know your circumstances, but the new licensing method is FAR easier for me, Username and Password - Versus taking a dongle everywhere I go, incase i need to open up a project. Come on, travelling the world with a USB stick you didn’t want to lose, get wet or put near magnetic sources was the difficult part.
Some false equivalencies in here
Studio One is developed by PreSonus and primarily makes money off selling low to medium tier hardware - which is what funded them developing a DAW.
Logic, is owned by Apple, which makes most their money selling iPhones and iMacs.
You could argue that Steinberg is owned by Yamaha who sells everything music related… but, this relationship is more of a partnership and I’m sure is under constant performance scrutiny by Yamaha.
Steinbergs primary sales are from mostly the Software. Cubase, Nuendo, Wavelab, and now Dorico.
Keep that in mind when discussing 4 licenses vs 2 licenses, and type of licensing in which one company could weather piracy better than the other.
It really comes down to, you either love Cubase, or you don’t.
Correct! There is a ‘field test’ going on with VPS Avenger, where they replaced the eLicenser with either machine or dongle activation (you have three). But, all kind of activations have to be “allowed” by Vengeance every three months. That system often doesn’t work for different reasons and adds an additional service layer between customer and their right to use the software. Internet difficulties, activation server down etc. What I do to minimize the risk is authorise dongles with different start cycles. If problems occur, I can at least use a dongle from another machine.
I predict a massive amount of these procedures if you own a lot of software protected this way. I must have 20 or so Steinberg products on several machines and it makes me more than nervous to have book keeping or activation problems to watch out. In the end Steinberg is punishing their best customers (those who buy and update a lot of software), because you will think twice adding complexity to your studio or workflow which is not supporting your artistical output, but a result of business decisions against you as a customer.
BTW: the argument from Vengeance for the re-authorisation method is mistrust against customers, who may be splitting the activations between ‘friends’ or alike. They think their customers are dishonest in general as it seems. But trust goes both ways - as a customer you look for alternatives. If this scheme is going through at Steinberg, I will at least re-think future purchases and just maintain workflows with Steinberg software I have to depend on now.
Your dongle is capable of breaking, your electricity is capable of going out, your computer is capable of burning out its lifespan, your studio could flood or burn down, your studio could be looted, etc, etc.
Nothing is forever, and these dongles are capable of faulting on their own. I recently purchased a new one because I became suspicious it was causing Cubase to crash.
In fact, I know a lot of people way way back, would buy a copy of Cubase, but then download a crack to be able to detach it from the dongle claiming better performance
In either case (I’m a studio guy mostly) it would be the best to let the customer decide: machine activation, using USB Sticks as a dongle (Waves and PA doing this).
The problem is the additional layer of controlling your licenses, no matter if these are on a dongle, USB stick or the machine. They take away the permanent licensing and talk around the bush as busywork. That is the curcial point: time bombed licensing versus permanent licensing as it was.
I nominate this as “quote of the year” 
I have to say having dealt with this crap in the last few months with BFD3 it’s somewhat disheartening to see Steinberg going this route. Not a fan of treating legitimate users like criminals and checking up on their good citizenship credits every month.
Cubase 11 wil be fine for me and if I decide to move on it will not be to Cubase 12+. Well done Steinberg.
https://www.steinberg.net/licensing/
After activation, you can disconnect from the internet altogether if you need to, and run your software for 30 days without reconnecting. However, most of us have our computers connected to the Internet all or most of the time, and when you run your Steinberg software, if a connection is available it will periodically contact Steinberg in the background to update its activation. If you find yourself unexpectedly without an internet connection, your software should always have plenty of time remaining before its activation requires renewal.
What do you mean by thirty day “lease” Matthias? That’s a conflict of interest , how can you lease a product and licence to someone who’s already purchased it?
Please have a look at the second answer in the FAQs. “lease” is just another term for “period”. Sorry for the confusion. New Steinberg Licensing FAQ | Steinberg
“In the interest of our users” hahaha purely in the interests of Yamaha bank account! Pure greed! The issues with licences happen occasionaly, can you imagine the bedlam when 1000’s upon 1000’s of users all try to update their licences every month? This is nothing but a cynical attempt to squeeze more money out of users and I won’t support it!
The system is designed to easily handle the background refreshing of the offline allowance for all user activations.
This is one of the reasons for moving away from elicenser as it had reached the limitations of scaling.
Where is the money squeezing? Please do a better job of reading and understanding what is being said, slow down.
You thinking of setting up a consortium of users to sync in unison or something? 
It will just do it’s stuff in the background for vast majority of users, not even an issue. This is an outgoing cost for them, not a money grab lol. There’s no revenue for C11.5 either, would’ve been usual sales period for them right now, which is lost in this move.
I really can’t believe how foreign this is for people, Steinberg are one of the later companies to arrive at this kind of licensing system yet it’s like a ghost has walked through the doors lol.
The fundamental principles of the system are of course good: you log in, activate, done.
What people have a problem with is the requirement that one is checked by Steinberg monthly.
Why is that? It can be a source of problems for the paying user, and its utility to Steinberg is quite unclear.
Why is a one time activation not enough?
thanks Alexandru - great reply. well done