Confusion over License Agreements

[Anonymous]

Hi,
On the SketchBook download page, it says the software is free for everyone; replies to questions about commercial usage of Sketchbook Free and Sketchbook mobile versions also say the software can be used for commercial purposes. However, when I read the software license agreement (Windows Desktop version), it says that if an Autodesk software has no License Identification, then it defaults to an Evaluation License, which can't be used for commercial purposes. 
Also, for mobile versions of SketchBook, the license agreement message provides a link to the Terms of Use—General Terms page. However, Section 3 of General Terms says Offerings may be subject to Special Terms, and SketchBook is listed under Offerings With Their Own Terms Of Service.
However, the Autodesk Sketchbook ToS says it applies to Software that contain a link to itself, which is not the case for any of the desktop or mobile versions of Sketchbook. Also, this ToS says "your access is to a service" and "no license to our Software is granted by these Terms," which seem to suggest it doesn't apply to Sketchbook software or apps.
I'm very confused now. What's going on? Which Terms of Use/Terms of Service actually applies to Sketchbook software and apps? Please clarify, thanks! 🙂

[TravisNave]

The ToS is from 2015 and I believe the licensing for Sketchbook changed to free sometime after the 2018 release and the LSA no longer applies to that product per the 2019 LSA.  The LSA included with the software, that I just downloaded to check, is the standard LSA.  Apparently, it was put in there lazily for the 'I agree' portion of the installation, even though it does not apply. 

The Free version is apparently a full featured product and not a trial.  Therefore, I can find no reason why you could not use this product for commercial use as the current LSA does not apply to this product and the website states that the software is 'Free for everyone.'

I can tell you from personal auditing experience, Sketchbook has never been on my radar. 

[Anonymous]

Thank you very much for your reply! 🙌

Whilst on the topic, what about licensing of extra features of a software? SketchBook Extras provides extra brushes that can be installed with a single click (i.e., without agreeing to more LSA or paying a fee) when running the software or manually downloaded from their blog, are these considered part of the SketchBook software package?

I'm new to this licensing concept, and I was surprised by how licensing differs across various fields and companies. Despite my effort to read licensing agreements, I still feel like I know little of what I've actually agreed to--legalese is a language of its own. On top of that, there's the whole legal system, which is more confusing and complicated. Anyway, I'm glad there are forums like this.

Hopefully Autodesk will update SketchBook's LSA soon. 🤞