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From: tr@samadams.princeton.edu (Tom Reingold)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: software piracy (was "Interactive and me")
Message-ID: <1238@rossignol.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 18 Jul 90 15:28:48 GMT
References: <3126@rsiatl.UUCP> <1990Jul11.164044.7241@sco.COM> <1990Jul13.231942.14009@ico.isc.com>
Sender: news@cs.Princeton.EDU
Organization: The cultural Mecca of Noo Joizy
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I am amazed that a basic point has not yet been made yet!

Copy protection, serialization and other methods may prevent illegal
copies.  But they do not necessarily make someone buy a product!  If
someone can't copy something illegally, he may just do without it.  He
may not be a potential sale at all.  So you haven't lost anything from
him if he has an illegal copy of your software.  You may gain good
word-of-mouth from him if he evaluates the software well and tells
potential customers about it.  But you haven't lost anything.

This is why schemes such as these are such a big mistake.
--
                                        Tom Reingold
                                        tr@samadams.princeton.edu
                                        rutgers!princeton!samadams!tr
                                        201-577-5814
                                        "Brew strength depends upon the
                                         amount of coffee used." -Black&Decker