It is rumored that work is underway to be able to use the Dorico license on two computers at the same time without having to carry the dongle around or deactivate the hardware-based eLicenser on one computer at a time.
What is it about these rumors?
I would really like it if that were the case, because it would be another important reason to (finally) buy Dorico. Because then my wife can work on Dorico on her PC without getting the dongle (on which various programs such as Cubase Pro, Halion 6, Groove Agent etc. are licensed) from me.
Until it’s announced–it’s still a rumor.
There’s no “rumor” about it. Daniel has said repeatedly on the forum that they are working to migrate to a new licensing system that is more flexible and inline with current market expectations (ie- soft elicenser that allows two installations). No promise on when it will be implemented. Obviously not yet.
I think the new licensing system is really intended for the use case of allowing the same person to use the software on two different systems (ex. a desktop and a laptop) without needing to move a dongle back and forth, similar to Sibelius and Finale. Probably your spouse using the software at the same time as you is not part of the intended use case, and technically speaking, in order to adhere to the EULA to any of these programs (Finale, Sibelius, etc.), your spouse would probably need their own license. However, IMO, it is unlikely any involved vendors will find (or prioritize) a way of policing that.
Here’s a relevant few comments on the matter: two licences: Pro and Elements - #12 by dspreadbury - Dorico - Steinberg Forums
As for when this might come about… of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the [Dorico], but the [Steinberg].
Jokes (that are likely incorrect) aside, the best we’ve got is speculative user chatter on this one (unless I’ve missed something, in which case, please correct/inform me). I find the idea that the timing is somewhat contingent on the speed at which USB A is deprecated to be vaguely rational. As more and more OEMs are switching to USB C, especially on laptops, a new licensing scheme would mean Steinberg doesn’t need to design and manufacture USB C dongles. Speculative user chatter indeed, though. Don’t pay it much mind 
Well, these comments by Daniel are already more then two years old…
And while it’s nice to know that “work has begun”, it is somewhat frustrating to a) not see any results yet, and b) still have some members here reply to those questions with something along the lines of “they have already said that work has begun, so be happy and don’t ask any further”. I feel that after some time it’s quite reasonable to bring the question up again.
AFAIK the current license software is used for ALL Steinberg products, so changing it is a much bigger issue than Dorico alone, and the time scales are not decided by the Dorico team.
Two years to make a decision that could damage the entire business if they get it wrong (e.g. if the new system can be cracked) is unbelievably fast for many companies!
It’s all very well grumbling about it here - it may even be useful ammunition for the Dorico development team to present to whoever’s supposed to be fixing it - but it’s been made perfectly clear that this solution is not in the hands of Dorico’s development team. There’s no value in getting huffy with them about it.
Don’t worry, I’m perfectly aware that the Dorico team is not responsible for all the things related to how Steinberg handles their licensing.
Is there a better place where we can voice our wishes? There is no forum here directly related to licensing, only to specific products, and the “Steinberg Lounge” seems more like a chit-chat area.
We should also state the obvious (which I didn’t address in my initial reply): if you are using one set of products, and your wife is using Dorico separately, then the obvious solution is to get two dongles and move the Dorico license to the second dongle. Then you can have yours with your other software and she can have her Dorico session, no fighting over the dongle required. As stated above, two users using one license is surely a breach of ELUA, even if it occurs in practice in certain households.
Everybody at Steinberg is very well aware of how users generally feel about our present licensing system, so a few more voices joining the chorus won’t make a great deal of difference. Conserve your energies for more productive things.
Work is underway on a new licensing system, but it is a project that touches not only product engineering but more or less every business process related to manufacturing, stock-keeping, selling, and supporting our products. The company is committed to the project and I am confident that it will be successful, but it will take time.
In the meantime, if you need to move Dorico from one computer to another without using the USB-eLicenser you can do so via the ‘Reactivation’ process in MySteinberg. What this does is tell MySteinberg which Soft-eLicenser is the blessed one that currently contains your Dorico license. Normally somebody would use this process when they have bought a new computer or have had to replace their hard disk or reinstall their operating system. But because there is no ongoing connection between the license on your Soft-eLicenser and MySteinberg, it doesn’t actually know whether your previous Soft-eLicenser is actually no longer in use. So for the limited case that you have Dorico installed on one computer and then reactivate it on a second, it will continue working on the first computer, but you would not be able to reactivate that first machine again, or install an update on that computer, because MySteinberg no longer considers the Soft-eLicenser on your first computer active. And, I should point out, the Steinberg EULA permits you to install and use Soft-eLicenser-based products on a single computer.
My expectation is that when the improved licensing system arrives, all of this will be a thing of the past. My hope is that it will be as simple as you signing in on your computer with your MySteinberg credentials, and the software then working, with a periodic licensing check back to the central server, in a similar fashion as Office 365 and Creative Cloud, etc., but it remains to be seen exactly what form the improved software licensing system will take.
158/5000
Hi Daniel,
Thank you very much for your reply!
I just wanted to find out if there was anything new since your last posting two years ago.
Hartmut