Free Sketchup only for personal use? :(

[JoonCat]

I'm feeling pretty bummed because I had began using free sketchup for commercial use - I can't afford Pro version right now - and I discovered today that if I want to make money with with my sketchup-powered drawings I need to buy a license.

I was confused, because I kept hearing elsewhere that I can use free sketchup for commercial use without any problem. Even the TOS is not exactly clear on that matter. (I understand that it used to have the statement, "Google SketchUp is provided free for your personal or commercial use" but since sketch up 8 came out it was removed.)

And now I see this statement on the Help page t that said the free sketchup is "suggested" for home/personal use. http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=115423

So does it mean I have to buy a license after all?

[Marian]

I highly doubt that the refrasing has any new legal implications. "Suggest" is not the same as "forbidden", I doubt they will make that change anytime soon.

BUT it is troubling that they actually went ahead and made a change

After rereading that....well I don't think that has any legal implications it's just a small description of the Sketchup products and their use.

Do you plan to use SU free in a company or for yourself? That frasing has more to do with that aspect than if you can use it commercially or not.

[Alan Fraser]

It seems like the Google legal team has been muddying the waters. Apparently it no longer states that you can use the free version commercially...but neither does it say you can't. In fact this phrase in the Free License:-

"If you are a business entity, you also represent that you are duly authorized to do business in the country or countries where you operate and that your employees, officers, representatives, and other agents accessing the Service are duly authorized to access the Service and to legally bind you to these Terms of Service. In these Terms and Conditions"
makes no sense whatsoever unless you are able to use SU in a business environment, therefore commercially.

[Gaieus]

I would not bother myself with that sentence. It is what it is meant for: a "suggestion" or a "description" of the product - maybe more exactly the intent or the idea of the creators when separating the two.

"Suggestion" and "recommendation" are not legal terms (well this latter one has some EU usage but only for governments).

It was disallowe to use SU Free (beta) when it came out with version 5 right after Google acquired SU. Then it was explicitely allowed during SU 6 and this explicit sentence was removed when SU 7 (and the new SU Google site) came out (so not with SU 8 that was just - or rather EXACTLY - a year ago).