Software Piracy
Legal Policies
Last updated September 12, 2016.
The purchase of the Final Draft screenwriting software is actually the purchase of a license which gives you the right to install and use the software on devices that you own and operate. Distributing and/or reproducing the Final Draft software applications or fonts for business or personal use is software piracy and is illegal and punishable by law.
Be aware that when you install the Final Draft software you are agreeing to the terms and conditions set forth in the End User License Agreement. We urge you to read it and become familiar with its provisions.
Piracy comes in many forms and is committed by both businesses and individuals, usually intentionally but sometimes not. An intentional software pirate will (for example) duplicate a legitimate copy of a program and sell it for profit (or give it away). He or she may purchase academic versions of a program at a discounted price and sell them as full versions for profit. A business may purchase a minimal number of copies of a program and duplicate it on more computers than is allowed by the license.
An unintentional pirate will copy a program for a friend or allow the friend to install and use the program on his or her computer. This is not allowed by United States software law or by the Final Draft End User License Agreement.
Illegal Internet Distribution
Be cautious when ordering software over the Internet. Many resellers with Internet storefronts or those who sell from auction sites knowingly distribute copies of software illegally. A great deal of software sold over Internet auction sites is either bootlegged or gray market, which means that it is not legitimate. If the pricing seems too good to be true, it probably is.
We recommend that you purchase from either the Cast & Crew Production Software, LLC d/b/a Final Draft (“FD”) online store or from a FD authorized reseller to ensure that you receive a legitimate copy of the software.
We reserve the right to use a hardware lock device, license administration software and/or a license authorization key to control access to the Final Draft software. You may not take any steps to avoid or defeat the purpose of any such measures. Use of any Final Draft software without any required lock device or authorization key provided by FD is prohibited.
Distributing Specialized Academic Versions to Unauthorized Markets
FD prices its software to meet the needs of the academic market. These versions are clearly labeled to avoid confusion with other market segments. Duplication of these versions for distribution to other markets is prohibited.