Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!decwrl!petunia!polyslo!jdudeck
From: jdudeck@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (John R. Dudeck)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.programmer
Subject: Re: copy protection
Message-ID: <260a7225.4ef7@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU>
Date: 23 Mar 90 18:59:49 GMT
References: <11676@sequoia.execu.com>
Reply-To: jdudeck@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (John R. Dudeck)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Cal Poly State University -- San Luis Obispo
Lines: 25


In article <11676@sequoia.execu.com> gsm@execu.com () writes:
>for a number of our products we use copy protection.  most all of these
>versions of our products are for sale in european markets.  for whatever
>reason, our CLIENTS (i.e. customers/buyers) REQUEST that we put copy
>protection on them!
>
>Summary:  sometimes the market dictates that CP is required.

We are in a very different software market situation here in the US
from what it is in Europe.  I don't claim to be an expert, but I have
lived there some, and it is pretty pathetic.

Software in Europe costs about 4 times what it does in the US.  As a
result, piracy is a big progblem.  As a result of the piracy, the
countries have passed laws protecting the vendors that are many times
stiffer that we have.  I believe that you in some countries can be
convicted of a felony for copying games, or at least for passing them
on to someone else.  So the vendors want copy protection, because they
have plenty of legal support for their extortion schemes.

There is also a gray market for US software purchased in the US and
imported into Europe.  The main reason it doesn't do better is that a
lot of Europeans don't know English, and they feel more comfortable
with programs that are in their own language.

-- 
John Dudeck                           "You want to read the code closely..." 
jdudeck@Polyslo.CalPoly.Edu             -- C. Staley, in OS course, teaching 
ESL: 62013975 Tel: 805-545-9549          Tanenbaum's MINIX operating system.