I asked about it years ago, and I was told I could use the hobby license for anything I want.  I don't recall exactly what they said the difference was for the industrial license other than price. 

Of course as we know policies do change.

Only thing I found beyond the AI result was this below.  The AI result linked to a page that did not support what it said was the answer to the question.

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The industrial software version comes with greatly expanded customer support, including phone support for customers in a manufacturing environment where every second counts.  Mach4 Industrial includes Macro B gcode programming, tool life management, screw mapping, and an advanced GUI editing tool.

Ah, just found this on the Artsoft website:

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A full featured software version to be marketed toward those interested in using CNC machinery for their own personal /non-business use.

So to be clear if I make a part for sale must I buy the Industrial version? 

Currently I am running 4 machines with Mach 3, one with PathPilot (LinuxCNC under the skin) and one with a Masso controller. 

No, commercial use of a Hobby license is permitted, however if you use Mach4 commercially for multiple machines you are expected to purchase a Hobby license for each machine engaged in commercial use.

No, commercial use of a Hobby license is permitted, however if you use Mach4 commercially for multiple machines you are expected to purchase a Hobby license for each machine engaged in commercial use.

So to be clear, are you are stating if I make any parts for sale I must buy an industrial license AND a hobby license, and an additional hobby license for each additional machine? 

Okay. 

The Industrial License is not needed at all. It is about extra features and higher levels of support.

The Hobby License allows use on one machine for commercial use making products for sale.

If you were to run three machines making parts for sale you are supposed to own 3 Hobby licenses.

Other machines not being used to make items for sale do not require additional licenses.

The Industrial License is not needed at all. It is about extra features and higher levels of support.

The Hobby License allows use on one machine for commercial use making products for sale.

If you were to run three machines making parts for sale you are supposed to own 3 Hobby licenses.

Other machines not being used to make items for sale do not require additional licenses.

That is not what your previous reply indicates, and not what they Art Soft website seems to indicate. 

Commercial use legally and according to Webster would be using the software to make money.  Using the software to run a machine to make parts for sale is commercial use.  You said, and the quoted Artsoft website page said no commercial use. 

It's the whole reason I asked now.  Years ago I asked and was told I could buy the Hobby license for a machine and use the machine commercially (I think that was actually by Art around the time of the sale), but a discussion recently on another forum indicated that would not be allowed under the hobby license, the documentation seems to say no, and your previous response seems to say no I could not use a hobby license on a machine to make parts for sale. 

https://cambamcnc.com/forum/index.php?topic=10751.15

Now this response seems to contradict that and say, "Yes I can use the hobby license on a machine to make parts for sale." 

I was actually considering just using Mach 3 for a new machine and to re-retrofit an old machine since I have dialed it in to work fairly well and know how to set it up, but for just $25 more I was considering Mach 4.  For $1225 more it's not worth it for me.  It's at the point where selling off a couple Smoothsteppers and picking up some MESA IO cards starts to look more promising instead.  (Actually, I have 1 spare Mesa IO card already)  Maybe it's time I learned the ins and outs of HAL files. 

My main reason for looking at Mach 4 was it looks like it supports and has cleaner support for some of the G/M instruction set.  One of the things I like about LinuxCNC. 

You have interpreted my response incorrectly. The "No" in my first sentence was the response to your question "So to be clear, are you are stating if I make any parts for sale I must buy an industrial license AND a hobby license, and an additional hobby license for each additional machine?". The part after the comma in my reply states that " commercial use of a Hobby license is permitted".

I am unable to find the reference you mentioned on the Art Soft website. The closest thing I can find is a statement that Mach4 is "A full featured software version to be marketed toward those interested in using CNC machinery for their own personal /non-business use." This indicates that support is via forums but does not indicate that commercial use violates the license.

Again, the major difference between Hobby and Industrial versions is the access to ArtSoft support personnel and the addition of some advanced features such as Macro B in G-code.

I suggest that you try contacting support@machmotion.com for a definitive answer. They are the new owners of the Mach/ArtSoft family of products.

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A full featured software version to be marketed toward those interested in using CNC machinery for their own personal /non-business use.

I have used their contact form to request a clarification, but have received no response. 

The official line & current situation regarding the Masch4 Hobby licensing is as you have described… ‘A full featured software version to be marketed toward those interested in using CNC machinery for their own personal / non-business use’.

However, enforcing this rule would be pointless and many users do in fact use Mach4 Hobby for commercial purposes.

Tweakie.

I can't see how a software licence which is essentially a copyright licence could extend its terms to an object made on a machine controlled by that software.  By no stretch of the imagination could you say that the object was a "derivative work".  On the other hand a commercial user depending on Mach4 for their business would demand a much higher level of support.  In general companies don't get a good reputation by suing their customers and I doubt that NFS have the resources to do so anyway.  Given the prices and the apparent lack of on-going support contracts I suspect the company revenue is based on one-off sales and can't be very large.  A good principle with this kind of issue is "it is easier to seek forgiveness than permission".