When you develop your own USB product you probably do not want to pay 2000$ for a Vendor ID. Why would you need a VID ? Each USB product requires an unique VID and PID number. Since the VID is a WORD(2 bytes) there are many possible numbers.
Each of your unique products need a unique PID. This is also a WORD(2 bytes).
Another option is to buy a PID from MCS. Together with the VID you will have a unique combination. MCS has sold PID's since 2005. When MCS purchased the VID, there was NO INFORMATION about the usage of the VID-PID. USB-IF was only focused to get a payment. There were no rules or conditions or a contract.
That changed in June 2009 when USB-ORG wrote an email that it was not permitted to sell VID or PID. MCS pointed out that in The Netherlands you can not enforce or change rules AFTER a product/service is sold. So we continued as usual. In reaction USB-ORG offered our money back but that would mean existing customers would not have a valid PID anymore. So we got some more letters and finally USB-ORG wrote a letter that they revoked our VID.
Of course our VID can not be re-used by USB-ORG. This means that our VID will still be unique.
If you want to produce a USB device that need to be tested/verified by USB-ORG you need your own VID. If you only need a real unique VID & PID combination, you can still use ours. So what we offer is a unique VID & PID combination.
DatoDavid (Thursday, 24 June 2021) Rating: Still going strong in 2021. Received my PID minutes after submitting the order. Highly recommended if you need a single unique PID for your USB device.
CaffeinatedCoder (Monday, 27 January 2014) Rating: Awesome! After submitting my order via Paypal, got my very own PIDs immediately assigned. Keep up this great offer and thanks alot!!!
steve34613B (Tuesday, 06 March 2012) Rating: FIRST Rate product. Keep up the good work. $2000.00 for a vendor ID is outrageous. So please keep selling your VID and PID and we will still keep buying them.
Steve S.
DesktopAviator.com
wlinux (Thursday, 14 November 2013) Rating: Keep selling and Keep fighting! USB.org is ridiculous, nobody is going to fork over 2 grand for a VID, if they are only going to use 1 PID.
1100F (Monday, 28 September 2015) Rating: I completely agree. It is outrageous to want to change the rules of use of a product after the sale.
