Will this be considered proof of purchase?

Question

Each product has a traceable serial number, and to operate the product, it must be registered and activated through the manufacturer's software. The registration and activation process requires the validated serial number. The product is designed to be exclusively compatible with the manufacturer's software, which the manufacturer can remotely control the activation and deactivation, and review the usage log. Unauthorized third party sales, third-party repairs and software are strictly prohibited and inhibited. Transferring of ownership will require the manufacturer's approval too.

To simply put, the product is rendered unusable without the manufacturer's software. The product cannot be repaired, resold or used without the manufacturer's explicit approval.

With this ecosystem, without a receipt, is registering and using the product itself considered proof of purchase?

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Answer 1

You ask whether the facts you describe would be considered "proof of purchase." This entirely depends who you are trying convince that you purchased the thing and what the evidence for the contrary position is.

If everything you say is true, it seems at least to be evidence of purchase, which would of course have to be evaluated in the context of any contradictory evidence. If you were to introduce these facts in court as evidence that you purchased a thing, you would need to introduce them via affidavit or oral testimony. You may even need expert opinion evidence or evidence directly from the provider to help establish that there is no other way to have activated the product.

Answer 2

No

If I steal the item and register it, I haven’t purchased it.

Or, if I collude with the store clerk to steal the item and get an activation code, I haven’t purchased it.

Or, if you buy it and give it to me, I haven’t purchased it.

Answer 3

Not as explained

For whom a serial number is proof of purchase depends on their access and data handling.

Let me give you an example:

I just sent in a computer for repair. It has a serial that is unique combined with the manufacturer's name. This serial was also marked on the initial bill of sale by a third-party vendor, denoting it as an individual item. The seller has a database of sales (combined with the customer number and identification of model) and could locate a copy of that bill of sale matching the serial number and then could provide a facsimile for warranty purposes. The manufacturer required the date of sale for warranty purposes, even though they could estimate the sale to have happened between the making and the registration.

To that specific vendor, the serial number, combined with proof of who you are, would be enough proof to show that you purchased the product. However, not all stores store specific serial numbers for all products, if they are available at all. For example, the same store also sells flash drives without serial numbers, and they can not be identified but for their type description.

On the other hand, the registration would not help on its own: while the registration allows to narrow down the date of sale and might help to identify the bill at the vendor, it doesn't prove anything that is not on the registration form. If the registration form does not require showing a receipt, it can not prove a sale but only that it was registered on a certain date by a specific person or group.

The manufacturer might identify their wholesaler via the serial number, who in turn might identify the individual store that got the item, and that store might then identify the sale if they have sufficient information. But on its own, the registration at best narrows down the time of sale, unless some paperwork of the sale was attached to the registration.