Is It Legal To Buy OEM Software?

This is typical of a question I receive quite often: "I have come upon many online sites offering 'bargain' software at prices well below most others. The prices are for OEM software — CDs only. Are these OEM software versions legal?"

Q: Is it legal to install an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) version of software on a computer?

A: OEM software is distributed with specified accompanying hardware. When these programs are sold separately from the hardware, it is a violation of the license, and therefore illegal.

Note: I am not saying here that all software marketed as an OEM version is illegal.