Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!metro!macuni!sunc!ifarqhar From: ifarqhar@sunc.mqcc.mq.oz.au (Ian Farquhar) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Pirating CD-ROMS Keywords: CD-ROM Message-ID: <903@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz> Date: 17 Dec 90 02:42:39 GMT References: <1990Dec11.205920.12986@daffy.cs.wisc.edu> Sender: news@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz Organization: Macquarie University, Sydney Lines: 32 In article <1990Dec11.205920.12986@daffy.cs.wisc.edu> pochron@cat52.cs.wisc.edu (David Pochron) writes: >Perhaps one of the reasons game developers are so hot on CD-ROM technology >is it is impossible to pirate a CD-ROM - too much inforation stored there, >even for a hard drive. I have been told (I haven't seen it myself), that the Mac CD game "Virtual Vallery" has been pirated. This is because the game is really only about 30M or so long, and the vast majority of the disk is empty. I am sure that this will be the case with most CD-ROM games for a while to come. You should also remember that R/W and Worm technology may make it possible to pirate CD games extremely easily. >IC ROMs can, and have been, pirated. I suspect by 1995 (if the game industry >doesn't go bust again) every game on the market will use a CD-ROM - 0% loss >of sales to piracy. Only "borrowing" can hurt sales then... Well, if someone has the manufacturing skills to pirate carts on a medium scale, pirating CD's from Taiwan is even easier. All you need is a bent CD manufacturer, or one who is not too fussy about the contracts her/she/it takes on. These are not uncommon, and don't make the assumption that just because Taiwan has signed the Berne convention that the Taiwanese authorities are actively chasing Taiwanese cloners (chasing people who clone Taiwanese technology is another matter though...) -- Ian Farquhar Phone : 61 2 805-9404 Office of Computing Services Fax : 61 2 805-7433 Macquarie University NSW 2109 Also : 61 2 805-7205 Australia EMail : ifarqhar@suna.mqcc.mq.oz.au