Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!rochester!rit!ultb!rcc9885
From: rcc9885@ultb.UUCP (R.C. Costello)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Making Piracy work in your Favor
Summary: My to cents
Message-ID: <975@ultb.UUCP>
Date: 26 Jun 89 13:06:18 GMT
References: <890625.11081288.023669@SFA.CP6>
Reply-To: rcc9885@ultb.UUCP (R.C. Costello (673SMA))
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology, Information Systems
Lines: 42


  Here is my to cents on how to stop software piracy.  The solution is quite
  simple, but would involve a little work on the dealers part.  Every
  piece of software should have the registration card attached to the OUTSIDE
  of the box.  Then when the software is purchased, the dealer will be
  responsible for filling out the card.  Then, when a piece of software is
  found on a BBS, the company can look up the serial number and know who
  purchased the orginal piece of software.  This may not stop the small time
  pirate who makes a copy for one or two of his friends, but I don't think they
  hurt the developers *as much as* the *FULL TIME* pirate.  In order to pirate
  software, SOMEONE *HAS* to buy the orginal, and the software company will
  know who it was.

  This also solves a few other problems.  First, the software company will have
  a more accurate count of the number of software packages sold.  I know I
  always TRY to send them registration cards in, but I always loose one once in
  while.  I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.  I suppose there will
  always be the person who will feel that they shouldn't have to give the
  company there name.  And the only fallide excude is that some people don't
  like being on mailing lists, but the card could have a small box to check if
  you don't like junk mail. Not to say that I have every recieved an
  overwhelming amount of junk mail. (Just one, the ICD catalog, not to say that
  it was junk) 

  The software companies may have to give a little more dealer incentive, say
  5% profit increase (by loweing the amount the dealer buys it for)  This will
  allow "discount" (ha!) dealers and mail order to be a little more competive.

  NOW, ofcourse every plan has its downfalls.  I suppose one could lie, and it
  would not be beyond the intelligence scope of a pirate to do so, and IDing a
  person would probably be to much to ask, and there would be little way to
  stop someone from purchasing something mail order with COD.  But even having
  FALSE information may have benificial help to the software companies.
  Example, pirate gives false name, dealer looks up on chart, hmm, this is a
  BAD person.  Dealer then fills in a short form and sends it to the company
  (or how about a SPECIAL ANTI-PIRACY agency) and then they know where to
  atleast look.

  Well, I thought it had potential.

  -------------------------
  Robert Costello