Does LINUX Toolchains need license renewal every year?

[tvnaidu]

Question aboout Embedded Linux toolchain licensing, Beginning of this year we bought Cross compiler tool chains form this XYZ company (compilers, bin utils, GLIBC), we paid hefty amount for those tools, we don't want to extend support contract, but we need to use those tools, do we need license renewal to use toolchains?. they contacted us and asking us to renew license for another Ten grant, does it valid?. we already paid money for those tool chains?.

[Banfa]

If the contract is for a support license then you can continue using the tool chain without renewing because you never paid money for the tool chain you paid money to have someone available to provide you with support if something went wrong. Of course if you don't re-new don't expect them to answer the phone to sort out your problems.

On the other hand if it is actually a license to use the software if you don't buy the license you can not legally use the software.

But in the second case given that it is Linux based I would be somewhat surprised if there wasn't an open source solution to compiling.

[tvnaidu]

lot of opensource tools these some of the Linux disties use and wrote some wrappers like Timesys, MontaVista and few European compnaies, they sell these toolchains and support, first year bought everything, second year not needed support, but they say license needed for toolchains