Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!philmtl!philabs!ttidca!davidd
From: davidd@ttidca.TTI.COM (David Dantowitz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Hardware keys (was: Software Piracy)
Message-ID: <17871@ttidca.TTI.COM>
Date: 14 Jun 90 19:59:46 GMT
Organization: Citicorp/TTI, Santa Monica
Lines: 27

One note in this thread mentioned the idea of using a hardware key
with each software product (as a method of adding a machine readable
serial number to a single CPU).

If low cost (unforgable) keys were available, would the accountability
of each copy lower the costs for software?  Current costs per unit are
in the vicinity of $30-$50 (U.S.).

Any thoughts on hardware keys?



One variation on this scheme was mentioned earlier: have users
subscribe to a local (network) service that provides access to
software.  The same service could authenticate a user and make an
appropriate charge to her account.  A 30 second call to an 800 number
wouldn't tie up a line, but would require that the user had a modem.


David Dantowitz

Not an employee of Citicorp/TTI, just a full-time student working here
part-time.
-- 
David Dantowitz

Singing Barbershop when not computing