On 19 February 2026, a commercial court in Saket, New Delhi, ruled for Siemens Industry Software against Om Sai Moulds and Plastics, a mould maker in Nashik, Maharashtra. The company held two node-locked licenses for Siemens NX but, according to the court, ran the software on eight to ten computers. Usage data showed thousands of events across several machine IDs.
“Perpetual license” is not a defense
The company argued that its licenses were perpetual. The court rejected that: a node-locked license is tied to one designated computer, and owning it forever does not allow running it on others. Siemens obtained a permanent injunction (except for the two licensed copies) and ₹20 lakh in damages and costs.
Obstruction led to prison
During the court commissioner’s inspection in 2023, employees were seen moving computer equipment out of the premises. The district court later found the company’s promoter guilty of contempt for breaching the interim injunction and obstructing the commissioner, and sentenced him to two months’ civil imprisonment. In August 2026 the Delhi High Court upheld the conviction and reduced the term to one month, to be served in Tihar Jail.
Takeaways
- Running a node-locked license on more machines than it covers is infringement, whatever the license term.
- Courts in India rely on vendor usage data to establish the number of machines and the period of use.
- Hiding or removing evidence turns a civil dispute into personal jail time.
Read the judgment (PDF, Commercial Court Saket, 19 February 2026)
Sources: LiveLaw, 28 February 2026; LiveLaw on the contempt appeal.
Header photo: Orionpenindia, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped and toned).
