Yes, Licono is trustworthy. Since 2011, we have helped over 20,000 customers with genuine, legally resold software licenses, complete with a VAT invoice and Dutch-language customer support. On this page, we explain openly and honestly how that works: why our prices are so low, why it is completely legal, how an order works, and what to look out for when buying cheap software.
We understand the doubt. Professional software like AutoCAD, Photoshop, or Office for a fraction of the official price sounds almost too good to be true. That is exactly why we hold nothing back. Below, you will read precisely where our licenses come from, which European ruling the resale is based on, and why a low price in this case does not have to be a red flag, but simply a fairer way of buying software.
Many people think that reselling software is prohibited. Within the European Union, that is not the case. The resale of an existing, legally purchased software license is expressly permitted, and that is exactly what Licono is built on. The basis for this is a ruling by the highest court in the EU.
In the case UsedSoft vs. Oracle (Court of Justice of the European Union, July 3, 2012, case C-128/11), the Court ruled that the software maker cannot oppose the resale of a license that was previously sold within the European Economic Area. This is called the exhaustion principle: once a rights holder has sold a copy of their software within the EEA, their distribution right for that specific copy is “exhausted.” They have received their money for it and can no longer prevent further trade.
What is special about this ruling is that the Court expressly determined that this also applies to software sold as a download, not just a physical disc in a box. A downloaded license and a license on a DVD are legally equivalent. This has placed the trade in second-hand software licenses on a solid legal foundation throughout the EU.
There are clear conditions for resale, and we strictly adhere to them. It must concern an originally perpetual license sold for an indefinite period, the first owner may not continue using their own copy, and the license must be genuine and complete, not a split volume or shared account. So we do not sell cracks, stolen keys, or shared accounts, but genuine licenses that legally change hands. The VAT invoice you receive from us also makes that transaction verifiable and traceable.
Want to dive deeper? Read is second-hand software legal? and why legal software matters.
The price difference often raises the most questions, so let us be open about it. Manufacturers like Autodesk, Microsoft, and Adobe have almost completely switched to subscriptions in recent years. You rent the software and pay again each year. A one-year AutoCAD license from Autodesk, for example, costs around 2,600 euros, and that keeps coming back as long as you use it. Feel free to check how much AutoCAD costs or how much Revit costs for current list prices.
Licono does not sell new subscriptions, but existing licenses that were previously issued within the EEA and are now legally resold. Because these are already issued licenses and not a new contract directly with the manufacturer, the price is a fraction of the official list price. Moreover, you pay once instead of every year. That is the whole secret: no trick, but a different origin of the same license.
And it is the exact same software. You simply download the program from the manufacturer itself and activate it with the license we provide. Features, file formats, and updates within that version are identical to a license you buy directly from the manufacturer. The only difference is where the license comes from: resold instead of new.
Transparency starts with a clear process. Here is how an order at Licono goes:
Activating on your own account is an important point. With fraudulent sellers, you sometimes get access to a shared account that you share with strangers and that can be revoked at any time. At Licono, the license is on your own account with the manufacturer. If activation gets stuck anywhere, our customer service will personally guide you through it.
The shift to expensive subscriptions hits small players the hardest. A large company can easily pass on a yearly license of a few thousand euros, but a freelancer, a startup, or a small studio feels that immediately. That is exactly the group we have been helping most often since 2011: professionals, freelancers, small businesses, students, schools, and foundations for whom the official subscription prices are a real barrier, but who want to work with legal, professional software.
We believe that good software should be affordable for everyone, not just those with a large IT budget. Legal resale makes that possible, without having to resort to illegal keys or cracked versions that actually put your business at risk.
Take a self-employed architect who has just started out. For his first big project, the renovation of a house, he needs AutoCAD and Revit. At Autodesk, those together quickly add up to more than 5,000 euros per year, money that simply is not there at the start of a business. Without the software, he cannot take on the project, but with an expensive annual subscription, he gets financially stuck before the project is even completed.
Through Licono, he chose a genuine, legally resold license for a fraction of that amount, one-time instead of as a recurring annual cost. He activated the software on his own Autodesk account, received a VAT invoice for his bookkeeping, and was able to carry out the project and deliver it on time. This is exactly the kind of entrepreneur we encounter most often: someone with the skills and the project, but with a software bill that makes starting almost impossible.
Or think of a budding graphic designer who needs Photoshop and Illustrator to serve her first clients, or a small engineering firm that wants to set up an extra workstation without immediately taking out a yearly subscription. Always the same pattern: legal software that would otherwise be unaffordable becomes feasible again through resale. (These examples are illustrative and describe the type of customer we help daily.)
Not every cheap provider is trustworthy, and we would rather tell you that yourself than have you find out the hard way. Use this checklist for any seller of affordable software, including us:
Licono meets every one of these points. We deliver genuine licenses with an invoice, activate on your own account, openly refer to the legal basis, and remain reachable after your purchase.
Cheap should never mean unsafe. That is exactly why it is important to know the difference between legally resold licenses, like those Licono provides, and the illegal alternatives floating around online. Cracked software, key generators, and shared accounts seem free or dirt cheap, but you pay the real price later.
Legally resold licenses combine the best of both worlds: a fair, low price and the certainty of genuine, valid software on your own account. So you do not have to choose between affordable and safe.
“So cheap, it must be illegal.” Not necessarily. The price says nothing about legality; what matters is the origin of the license. A legally resold license with an invoice is just as legal as a new one, only cheaper.
“Then I will probably get a stripped-down or fake version.” No. You download the exact same software from the manufacturer itself. Only the license is resold, not the program.
“Reselling software is not allowed, right?” Within the EU, it is allowed, thanks to the UsedSoft ruling. That is a ruling by the highest European court, not a gray area.
“If something goes wrong, I am on my own.” Not with Licono. You have a point of contact with Dutch customer service and a money-back guarantee.
A low price should never come at the expense of certainty. That is why we stand behind what we deliver:
A frequently asked question is whether a developer can later disable your license. With illegal keys or shared accounts, that is a real risk. With a genuine, legally resold license like Licono provides, that is not the case: it is a valid license on your own account. That is exactly why the origin of your license is so important, and why we never work with dubious keys.
Licono has been providing legal, affordable software licenses with Dutch customer service since 2011. In those years, we have helped over 20,000 customers, from freelancers and small businesses to students and schools. Transparency is part of reliability, so we are open about who we are:
We are reachable via email and WhatsApp, even after you have made a purchase, and we are happy to think along with you about which license suits you. Our customer reviews can be found, among others, on Trustpilot. Read more about our story on the About Licono page.
Yes. Licono has been active since 2011, has helped over 20,000 customers, and delivers genuine, legally resold licenses with a VAT invoice and Dutch customer service. You activate the software on your own account with the manufacturer.
Yes. The resale of existing software licenses issued within the EEA is permitted based on the UsedSoft ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU (case C-128/11). We sell genuine licenses, not cracks or shared accounts.
A genuine, full license that you activate on your own account with Microsoft, Autodesk, or Adobe. You share nothing with others and keep control of your software.
Yes, with every order you receive a VAT invoice. This makes your purchase demonstrably legal and you can process it neatly in your administration.
Then our customer service will personally help you further. If it unexpectedly does not work at all, our money-back guarantee applies.
In most cases, you buy a license once instead of a recurring subscription. Per product, it is clearly stated what you get and for which period.
With a genuine, legally resold license on your own account, that is not the case. This risk mainly applies to illegal keys and shared accounts, and we never work with those.
Yes. Licono is the trading name of Licono Ltd (Company No. 16494958), located at Bradford Court 123-131, B12 0NS Birmingham. We have been active since 2011 and offer Dutch customer service via email (info@licono.com) and WhatsApp.
Check out our range of legal, affordable licenses for Windows, Office, and Autodesk, or feel free to ask our customer service your question. We are happy to help you get the right license, at a fair price and with peace of mind.
Warning: there is a fake site licono.net that imitates our name and logo and scams customers. Our only official websites are licono.com, licono.nl, and licono.de. Read our warning about licono.net »
