Hi, we are a small clinic that uses the iPads for therapy. If we purchase an app for one iPad, can all of them download the same app at no additional cost?

Question

Hi, we are a small clinic that uses the iPads for therapy. If we purchase an app for one iPad, can all of them download the same app at no additional cost?

Answer 1

Allan was somewhat incomplete in his statement. While technically it would be possible, from a licensing standpoint you need one license for each iPad unless those iPads were all going to be used by the same person (which I think unlikely given your described use). Here are the relevant terms of the iTunes Store agreement (emphasis mine):
"(ii) If you are a commercial enterprise or educational institution, you may download and sync an App Store Product for use by either (a) a single individual on one or more iOS Devices used by that individual that you own or control or (b) multiple individuals, on a single shared iOS Device you own or control. For example, a single employee may use an App Store Product on both the employee's iPhone and iPad, or multiple students may serially use an App Store Product on a single iPad located at a resource center or library. For the sake of clarity, each iOS Device used serially by multiple users requires a separate license."
So you would legally need to purchase one copy of the app for each iPad, something which would require an iTunes Store account for each iPad. For normal purchases, each iTunes Store account would need an associated credit card or prepaid iTunes card.
The Volume Purchase Plan works similarly - you still need one license and one iTunes Store account for each iPad - but the purchasing is centralized so you don't get billed multiple times. You get one recemption code for each license you purchase. See:
http://www.apple.com/business/vpp/
Regards.