Why do we have to buy a new key every year? Why can't we just buy a key for three to 5 years at a time?

Just inquiring as I just want to know why can't we buy QuickTime Pro registery keys for three to five years in one purchase?

How are you being forced to purchase a ney key every year? Keys should only need to be re-purchased after a major upgrade—e.g., the change from QT 6 to QT 7 on a Mac. Since QT 7 was released in 2005 for both the Mac and Windows platforms, your QT 7 key should have been valid for a max of about 8 years thus far. The only problem I know of is the fact that Apple no longer maintains a continuous history of QT 7 key purchases which has been forcing users who do not maintain a copy of their key and user ID on hand for things like drive/system failures and/or accidental deletions to purchase a replacement rather than simply re-keying their QT 7 app with their old key. I keep all of my old keys stored on thee separate USB drives, two RAID units, and one external hard drive in case I lose any or all of my startup volumes.

The difficulty I am having is that I know the account I used for the purchase. I'm on it now. I've downloaded/copied the key before from the website. I don't understand how there was any sense in taking away something that was already there. The key was there, in my order history/digital purchases, then they revamp the site, and suddenly it's nowhere to be seen. It's hogwash. What's more irritating is that their support page make no mention of there being any change, or that orders over a certain age they've essentially taken back. They make it sound like every key that was purchased online at the Apple Store should be there, but they aren't.

The Apple Store does not keep online records for orders over 18 months old. If you purchased your QT Pro key prior to that time, that's why it no longer shows. It's your responsibility to make sure you keep a copy of the email you received with the key, as I believe the email itself advises. If you've lost that email and the order was more than 18 months ago, you'll need to purchase a new QT Pro key or find other software.

Regards.