Received Legal Notice for SOLIDWORKS Piracy – What Should We Do?

[User_d81ea23d]

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User_d81ea23d
PARTICIPANT
March 4, 2025 at 5:18 pm

Hey everyone,

We’re a small startup manufacturing components, and from time to time, we use SOLIDWORKS for design verification. However, we don’t own a license since we simply don’t have the funds to purchase one at this stage.

Today, we received an email from a legal associate company based in India, claiming that we have committed a piracy infringement by using SOLIDWORKS without a license. They are demanding that we either pay a fine or purchase a license.

We’re in a tough spot because we don’t have a license, and honestly, we don’t have the money to buy one right now. We’re unsure about how to handle this. Is it better to stay low and ignore these emails, or should we engage with them? Has anyone faced something similar? What are our options here?

Would really appreciate any advice from people who have dealt with software compliance issues before. Thanks in advance!

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[Prohawk5308]

P

Prohawk5308
PARTICIPANT
March 4, 2025 at 5:26 pm

Do you use same logic and steal raw material? I don’t have money so I will steal some material and manufacture . Does this seem logical to you? Yiu should be in jail for piracy

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[User_d81ea23d]

U

User_d81ea23d
OP
March 4, 2025 at 5:28 pm

I came here to ask you for a solution not criticism.

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[Prohawk5308]

P

Prohawk5308
PARTICIPANT
March 4, 2025 at 5:30 pm

Well I like to criticize thieves . You stole somebody’s IP. Simple .

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[User_d81ea23d]

U

User_d81ea23d
OP
March 4, 2025 at 5:30 pm

And seems like you’re not a lawyer or even close to a legal document. So thanks for your help!

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[Fiercedeepa8125]

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Fiercedeepa8125
PARTICIPANT
March 4, 2025 at 5:30 pm

You did piracy for business, you got pay for this. Settle whatever is less.

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[Silentsuhani990]

S

Silentsuhani990
PARTICIPANT
March 4, 2025 at 5:31 pm

Its a ‘roll the dice’ kind of situation. Depends on how much the license is worth, that will determine if they come after you.
Did you know you were using pirated, or did you ‘buy’ it from someone and found out now it’s pirated. Your defence lies in the above statement . NAL

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[Jagdishstar9]

J

Jagdishstar9
PARTICIPANT
March 4, 2025 at 5:43 pm

NAL

The price of solidworks basic licence is about ₹3,00,000. I suggest that you buy one or compromise with them if possible (only if they’re genuine because there was a similar scam going on).

They too run a business and pirating for education/learning and pirating for making money is entirely different.

P. S: I’m a Civil engineer and I do have autocad license even though I don’t use it much & might move to lower priced software next year. but didn’t get staddpro so not doing structural design now.

Or close with them saying that you are going to Puchase Alibre or onshape (or even move to them for half the cost)

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