Owned - Active Forum path explained
 

See this post for background

1. Owned-Active license for 3.8 allows free use of Forums 4.0 until 5.0 is released.
2. Until the license anniversary date* the updates are included
3. After the 1 year anniversary date* the version is stuck and cannot be updated without buying a new 4.X license
4. The upgrade price to Forums 4.0 is currently pegged at $175* but is no longer available as the full suite is currently being pushed at $130.
5. There is no provision for pro-ration of an Owned-Active license regardless of how recently it was purchased.