Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!agate!darkstar!saturn.ucsc.edu!mcgowen
From: mcgowen@saturn.ucsc.edu (Richard McGowen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games
Subject: Re: Run (don't walk) to your store.  Lemmings has been released.
Message-ID: <12591@darkstar.ucsc.edu>
Date: 20 Feb 91 02:01:02 GMT
References: <1991Feb18.051008.11300@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG> <52197@cornell.UUCP> <2323@odin.cs.hw.ac.uk>
Sender: usenet@darkstar.ucsc.edu
Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz
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I know this subject has been beat to death but I still don't understand why
psygnosis thinks that non-amiga dos format is going to stop piracy.  It seems
especially silly for the US version.  I have heard that almost any European
game, especially ones by psygnosis, are available on pirate boards in the
US before the commercial version has even been released here.  And since it
seems that time and time again people post here about the illegal versions
working on more systems and being hd-installable as well as less harsh on
ones disk drive, I really fail to understand psygnosis' feelings that 
harsh copy protection is going to help their sales when the pirate version
is actually better.  I do not condone piracy, but I am trying to point out
an inconsistancy in the logic of software companies, in not viewing things
from the point of the user.  

On a side note:  The prevalence of people viewing things from only one side
is disturbing.   IE The people in power feel that drugs are a bad thing and
therefore we must make them illegal.  This however drives the prices up.
Now suppose we have a person that tries heroin, and decides he really likes it,
in fact, he becomes an addict.  However, since drugs are illegal and their
prices are high, he has to steal to support his habit.  Now most people would
agree that theft is an unacceptable means of supporting a heroin habit, so
therefore the addict is a bad person and should be punished.  They fail to look
at it from the side of the addict.  He has to support his habit, just as you or
I have to eat, and his drive to obtain his drug is probably stronger than most
urges a non-addict feels.  Therefore does he have a choice if theft is the only 
means of supporting his habit.  However, this has a bad side effect of causing
harm and anguish to the innocent people from whom he steals.  I feel that if you
look at both sides, the side of the person being robbed as well as the side of 
the addict you will see that there needs to be a solution that falls somewhere 
between punishment of the addict and the theft of property/money from innocent 
people.  The solution should be one in which neither is harmed.  It would be 
wonderful if the addict could quit, and he may very well want to, but might not 
be able to.  Therefore, we should try to help him quit or offer another out 
other than theft.

Much in the same way, the software companies see software theft as harmful
as it very well is.  The thief is harming their company as well as other users
who follow the law.  This may not seem the same as the case of the heorin
addict but let me add one little twist, suppose that heorin was legal, like
software, but its price was so high that some people could afford it while
others could not.  Hmm, now the picture becomes clearer. 

Therefore we need a solution in the middle, one where neither the software
companies, the legitimate users, nor the people pirating software are hurt.
We need to find a way so people who pay for software do not get crippled
versions (nor perfectly working versions that have any annoyances related
to copy protection) and people do not copy software.  I admit that coming up
with a solution that is in the middle will require a lot of work and I can
not think of one right off the top of my head, however, copy protection is
not the way though.  

Closing thought:

+-> many people who would buy games that are otherwise wonderful are not doing 
|   so SOLELY because of the copy protection ----> which means that fewer copies
|   are sold ----> higher prices and better pirate versions ----> more 
|   piracy  ---->  more copy protection so --+
|          	                             |
+--------------------------------------------+

COME ON COMPANIES, lets break this cycle.


--
Richard McGowen

"Men can't deal with commitment.  They're afraid they'll get married and then meet
the woman of their dreams at the reception."   --Carrie Snow