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OEM
Last modified: Wednesday, November 04, 2009 

(pronounced as separate letters) Short for original equipment manufacturer, which is a misleading term for a company that has a special relationship with computer producers. OEMs are manufacturers who resell another company's product under their own name and branding. While an OEM is similar to a VAR (value-added reseller), it refers specifically to the act of a company rebranding a product to its own name and offering its own warranty, support and licensing of the product. The term is really a misnomer because OEMs are not the original manufacturers; they are the customizers.

Contrast with IHV (Independent Hardware Vendor).

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Buying OEM versions of Windows Vista: The Facts
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Is It Legal To Buy OEM Software?
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Related Categories

Hardware

Hardware Companies

IT Channel Partners

Software

Related Terms

accrual

application

barebones

brand

channel partner

computer

hardware

IHV

license

RMA

software licensing

VAR

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