Discounts for upgrading older software are going away, and the price of upgrading recent releases is going up.

Autodesk dealers are telling their customers about significant changes in the price structure for most Autodesk products. While it is typical for Autodesk to offer temporary price breaks and upgrade discounts during the slow summer months, the promotional deal currently in place is setting the stage for across-the-board price increases and changes in upgrade pricing.

According to a letter to customers from one leading US-based Autodesk reseller, effective August 1, 2012 Autodesk is increasing the price of most products by 5%. It will also reduce the multi-year discounts on three-year subscription contracts from 10% to 5%.

Effective March 2012, with the release of the Autodesk 2014 product line, Autodesk will end its existing legacy pricing policy for upgrading older products. For example, Autodesk software from release 2007 or older will have zero value for upgrading to a current product. Additionally, the cost to upgrade Autodesk software from one to six versions old will increase to 70% of the cost of a new license.

To encourage customers to beat these price increases, dealers are now offering a promotion that allows Autodesk users to upgrade or purchase new licenses at a 20% discount, through July 13, 2012.