Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!purdue!mentor.cc.purdue.edu!ain
From: ain@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Pat-bob White)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Software Sales Strategies vs. Piracy
Message-ID: <3693@mentor.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 22 Aug 89 14:57:58 GMT
References: <208@crash.cts.com> <21585@cos.com> <345@xrtll.UUCP> <4704@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM>
Reply-To: ain@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Pat-bob White)
Organization: PUCC Land, USA
Lines: 30

In article <4704@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM> brianr@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM (Brian Rhodefer) writes:
>>If someone is going to pirate the stuff, they will simply buy it from a
>>store and NOT send in the registration card!
>
>Would it be possible to prevent this behavior by requiring the purchaser
>to register in order to receive instructions for patching his program to
>"enable" it?  These patches would be unique, and different for each copy
>of the program.

   Only stops a pirate from stealing the program from the store -- dosen't
stop them from buying it and giving away copies.  If you put a serial number
in each copy, how are you going to actually get your money for the pirated
copies -- take every pirate to court for $30?  Try to take the initial
pirate to court?  And how about the person whose friends pirate his copy.. is
it his fault or not?
   Somehow, I find it hard to believe that anyone can actually devise a way to
*recover* lost income due to piracy -- and that is really what software
developers are worried about anyway, isn't it?  (wouldn't a developer be
delighted at not having to cover duplication costs and hassles, but still
get their money?)
   Perhaps a better approach would be to assume copying and work out a way to
get money for the copies (like let people sell copies provided they send the
developer $5 for each copy sold).


just my opinion... I think :-)
Pat White
ARPA/UUCP: j.cc.purdue.edu!ain  BITNET: PATWHITE@PURCCVM  PHONE: (317) 743-8421
U.S.  Mail:  320 Brown St. apt. 406,    West Lafayette, IN 47906
   Life is a joke.. so laugh at it :-)