Corel: Stopps UPP, automatic conversion to a CorelDRAW subscription

[German]A blog reader informed me that Corel Software is ending its Corel Upgrade Protection Plan (UPP) for its graphics software so that people will be automatically switched (as of March 8, 2022) to the 365 day subscription version of CorelDRAW. Interested parties will now need a subscription to always use the latest software. This is likely to be expensive. Those who don't want that, and have bought a UPP, need to act now.

What is the issue?

Corel Software had a so-called Corel Upgrade Protection Plan (UPP) for purchase licenses (perpetual license). This can be rewritten as Upgrade Protection Plan (see also this Corel FAQ) – is valid for one year and is chargeable. I have found a price of 108,89 Euro in Germany for such a yearly UPP license.

Corel Upgrade Protection Plan (UPP)

So far so good. Now blog reader Hanspeter Holzer has just sent me the information via Twitter that Corel Software UK has announced the automatic switch from UPP to a 365 days CorelDRAW subscription. 

And this subscription model is supposed to be 3.5 times more expensive in after the 2nd year, compared to the  UPP price.

Corel Upgrade Protection Plan

The above tweet links to the Corel page COREL UPGRADE PROTECTION PLAN TERMS & CONDITIONS. It's a text wall, that I didn't really get through. It's all about eligibility for upgrades to Corel software there. I think the following sections address the crux of the matter:

SCOPE & APPLICATION

As of the Effective Date:

1. You will not be entitled to purchase UPP under these Terms and must instead purchase or transition to a Subscription License to receive Upgrades in accordance with the terms of the EULA if You:
   • (a) are a new customer who has yet to purchase any Software license from Corel; or
   • (b) only hold a Perpetual License without having purchased the UPP for such license before the Effective Date.
2. No renewals of UPP Terms will be possible if You purchased UPP at any time after March 1, 2021.
3. You will only be entitled to one final renewal of the UPP Term if You purchased UPP on March 1, 2021 or at any time before that date.

Upon expiry of the UPP Term, You must as well purchase a Subscription License if You want to continue receiving Upgrades in accordance with the terms of the EULA. If You decline to purchase a Subscription License following expiry of the UPP Term, then You may continue using the latest Upgrade You received and installed during that UPP Term so long as Your Perpetual License is not terminated for cause.

Until further notice from Corel, all references to the terms "Software" and "updates" under the EULA shall automatically mean and encompass Upgrades.

UPGRADE

Under a Perpetual License for which You have purchased UPP, You: (a) may receive Upgrades only as and when Corel makes these available during the UPP Term, and, (b) upon such receipt, install copies of any such Upgrades to replace copies of prior releases of the Software, but only up to the number of Perpetual Licenses purchased by You.

The whole thing started on March 1, 2021 – so if I haven't completely missed it, March 1, 2022 is the one-year deadline for renewing the Corel Upgrade Protection Plan (UPP). So anyone who still wants upgrades to their Corel software now has a problem. Because they can't renew a UPP, they have to switch to the CorelDRAW subscription model.

I looked on the Corel page for the costs of CoreDRAW Graphics Suite 2021 – there are still compared to a one-time purchase license (perpetual license) and subscription. After 2 years, the subscription model is in the range of the one-time purchase price. So if you always want to work with the latest version of the CorelDRAW software, you can't avoid a subscription.

Corel Mail to UPP customers brings clarity

During my research I came across this forum post (German) where someone posted a Corel mail to German UPP customers. Here are the key items.

• Active UPP participants are entitled to 12 months CorelDRAW upgrade protection from the time of the last purchase or renewal of the UPP.
• Upon expiration of the existing UPP, customers will be eligible for a regular CorelDRAW subscription, which Corel will provide free of charge until March 7, 2023.
• A regular CorelDRAW subscription will automatically renew for 365 days on March 7, 2023. For this first renewal, we provide a price guarantee. This means you will pay the same price you last paid when you renewed or purchased the UPP (plus any taxes).
• No action is required by customers to automatically convert their current UPP to a 365-day subscription to CorelDRAW. This conversion process will begin for all active UPPs on March 8, 2022.
• Users who do not want their 365-day subscription to CorelDRAW to automatically renew can disable auto-renewal.

My reading: the first year's subscription costs round about 108 euros, as outlined above. From the 2nd year then the 359 euros are due – so a price increase of about 3.5 times. Important for users is now the following Corel statement:

Without a 365-day subscription to CorelDRAW, after March 7, 2023, you will only be able to continue using those versions of CorelDRAW that you received during the term of your UPP. Auto-renewal may be disabled at any time prior to March 7 to avoid being charged for the next billing cycle.

Corel UPP will begin the transition on March 8, 2022. So if you don't want to be on a subscription, you need to act now.  Below is the text of the Corel mail to it's UPP customers, which I've translated.

Corel will not continue UPP

We would like to inform you that we will not be continuing the CorelDRAW Upgrade Protection Program (UPP). As an active UPP subscriber, you are entitled to 12 months of CorelDRAW upgrade protection from the date of your last UPP purchase or renewal. Your current UPP benefits will, of course, remain valid and you will receive upgraded versions of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite for the remainder of your UPP term. As CorelDRAW investments are now shifting more to subscriptions with cloud capabilities, the product updates provided under the UPP will not have important subscription-only features.

o provide a path forward for UPP customers, we will convert their UPP to a regular 365-day subscription to CorelDRAW. After your existing UPP expires, you will be able to use a regular CorelDRAW subscription, which we will provide free of charge until March 7, 2023. Use will be subject to the normal terms and conditions of our subscription offering. Your regular CorelDRAW subscription will automatically renew for 365 days on March 7, 2023. For this first renewal, we provide a price guarantee. This means you will pay the same price you last paid when you renewed or purchased the UPP (plus any taxes).

No action is required on your part if you would like your current UPP to automatically convert to a 365-day subscription to CorelDRAW. This conversion process will begin for all active UPPs on March 8, 2022.

Users who do not want their 365-day subscription to CorelDRAW to automatically renew can easily disable auto-renewal. Please see the FAQ below for more details. Of course, if you disable auto-renewal, you will still be eligible for UPP benefits for the current UPP term. During the extended period of the free subscription until March 7, 2023, you will also receive all the benefits of this subscription for free. If you opt out of auto-renewal, you will only have access to upgrades and new versions of CorelDRAW that we release after March 8, 2022 during this extended period. Without a 365-day subscription to CorelDRAW, after March 7, 2023, you will only be able to continue using those versions of CorelDRAW that you received during the term of your UPP. Automatic renewal may be disabled at any time prior to March 7 so that no charges are assessed for the next billing cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How is the Upgrade Protection Program different from a 365-day subscription to CorelDRAW?
The UPP program provided customers with 12 months of upgrade protection for their CorelDRAW purchase and allowed continued use of the last version of CorelDRAW installed during the term of the UPP. A 365-day subscription to CorelDRAW grants the user a 12-month right to use CorelDRAW, with new features made available automatically as they are released.

How do I disable the automatic renewal of a 365-day subscription to CorelDRAW?
Click here to log in to your Corel account. Change the renewal from "Automatic" to "On Demand".

Why not just discontinue the UPP program instead of converting it to a subscription?
We wanted to give our loyal users in the UPP program an affordable way to switch to a 365-day subscription to CorelDRAW. Users who don't want to switch to a subscription can quickly and easily cancel it at any time in the next 12 months to avoid future renewal fees.