Clip Studio Paint 'perpetual license' users demand offline access

Clip Studio Paint (CSP) is one of the most popular digital creation platforms that allows users to create illustrations, animations, comics, and much more. But lately, the tool has been going through a shaky transition.

CSP developers recently released a new and updated version of the software, Clip Studio Paint v2.0. However, the new iteration is far from being perfect. We recently covered an issue where Pen Pressure stopped working for some.

Unfortunately, there’s an even more annoying problem related to perpetual licenses.

Clip Studio Paint ‘perpetual license’ doesn’t work offline

A perpetual license is generally a type of license that allows one to indefinitely use a product without many conditions. They basically own a copy of the software that can be used however they want.

Ideally, a user with a perpetual license should be able to use the software offline as well. But this is far from the case for Clip Studio Paint v2.0 users (1,2,3,4). The software demands owners verify their licenses regularly.

This means either the user needs to be constantly online or connect to the internet after regular intervals of time. According to some, this verification behavior destroys the true purpose of a perpetual license.

If the license has been paid for, there’s no reason that anyone should have to continually verify. The license is lifetime. What is the practical reason for this?
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I bought a perpetual license. Why am I subject to a verification process at ALL after purchase and initial installation?
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This is especially annoying for those who frequently travel or live in areas where internet outages are common. In earlier versions, the license was verified using a code that was stored on both the system and the cloud.

However, CSP v2.0 stores the license directly on the user’s accounts, and the verification is handled by the cloud. This leaves the platform heavily dependent on an internet connection.

As a response to the backlash, the developers extended the authentication period for offline use. However, this still means that users need to connect to the internet after regular intervals.

Unfortunately, the team has not yet shared the exact amount of time the software can run without an internet connection.

We hope that Clip Studio Paint developers look into the demands of perpetual license owners and make changes to how it works offline. We’ll keep an eye on this matter and update this story to reflect noteworthy developments.

Featured image source: Clip Studio Paint.

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