Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!pacbell.com!ames!haven!mimsy!mimsy.umd.edu!evett From: evett@drinkme.umd.edu (Matt Evett) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games Subject: Re: SimEarth copy protection Message-ID: Date: 2 Feb 91 00:03:51 GMT References: <1991Jan28.043033.11475@en.ecn.purdue.edu> <4f802472.20b6d@apollo.HP.COM> <1991Jan31.222504.12327@dartvax.dartmouth.edu> Sender: news@mimsy.umd.edu Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742 Lines: 55 In-reply-to: llama@eleazar.dartmouth.edu's message of 31 Jan 91 22:25:04 GMT I don't really have much more to say on this issue. Arguments over the value of copy protection schemes have popped up and faded away on the Net more times than I can remember, so I won't belabor the point much longer. Nevertheless I would like to comment on some of the responses to my original posting. First of all, let me apologize to Carlton Hommel for my insuating in my original posting that he might be pirating software or at least promoting piracy. To tell the truth, I didn't consider that there might be reasons for removing copy protection that weren't related to piracy. That having been said, I DO feel that Mr. Hommel might have been acting unethically by promulgating his copy-protection breaking scheme. Joe Francis writes: "You ... talk about protection from software piracy, but nowhere do you discuss why you object to removal of copy protection. Removal of copy protection and software piracy are two different things!" Of course they are. But let's not be naive. Obviously the removal of a program's copy protection scheme results in another (very similar) program which is much more easily pirated. If somebody posted a letter to the Net saying: "Hey, I've got an illegal copy of program X, but because I don't have the manuals I can't beat the copy protection scheme," would you immediately tell him/her how he could do so? I would hope not. Now suppose that same person is a little wilier and his/her posting reads, "Hey, I just bought a copy of program X, but, boy, that copy protection scheme sure is a bummer! Can anybody give me a hand?" Now would you help him/her? Would you consider aid ethical in the latter situation but not the former? Is there a difference if the end result is the same? I am a member of the academic communicty and strongly believe that the Net should act as a forum for the free flow of information. Unfortunately there can be danger in freely promulgating ALL and ANY information. Certainly info about copy-protection breaking is not paramount to national security concerns, and I certainly don't mean to imply that postings regarding methods of copy-protection breaking should be banned from the Net. I DO want users of the Net to realize that there is more than one way to view the issues of the need for copy protection and of promulgating copy protection schemes. Sincerely, Matt Evett -- Matt Evett Dept.Comp.Sci., University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. evett@brillig.umd.edu