Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!spool.mu.edu!munnari.oz.au!bruce!roddi From: roddi@bruce.cs.monash.OZ.AU (Roddi Walker) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.graphics Subject: Re: Animation Journeyman: Wayne Knapp's Reply Message-ID: <4415@bruce.cs.monash.OZ.AU> Date: 4 Jun 91 08:20:35 GMT References: <1991Jun3.022713.4109@techbook.com> Organization: Monash Uni. Computer Science, Australia Lines: 51 In moonhawk@bluemoon.uucp (David Culberson) writes: > Wait. Think about it. Do you think that someone who could AFFORD >to spend $500 on a software product would pirate it? I think not, he would >want the support, the manual, and the tech. help that he gets from buying >the product in the stores. If someone is a pirate, I SINCERELY doubt that >he could afford the $500 that JMAN costs. He wouldn't buy it, even if he >couldn't pirate it. He would do without. Do you think that, just because >someone can >'t copy it off a friend, that the $500 is going to magically appear in his >wallet? Just my experience with pirates is that they couldn't, and >wouldn't buy the SW no matter HOW great the price, or HOW hard the >protection is. These guys THRIVE on protection. Do you honestly think your >protection is so innovative that the thousands of pirates out there can >never break it? And, once it's broken, the unprotected version will spread >like wildfire. No bull. > David I think you underestimate the resources these pirates have. Many groups generate revenue by selling the latest cracked games for $5 a pop. I know a professional pirate (his collection is ~4000 disks of Amiga software) who makes > $1000 a WEEK (no tax, of course) just for selling copies of software at $2 a disk (not including media). Other pirate groups send around their junior members to his house to get disks off him - I have seen a junior members go through the week's new arrivals copying every disk - regardless of the quality/type of software. Just go through a local second-hand ad paper (such as the Melbourne Trading Post) - I guarantee you'll find dozens of advertisements for "the lastest software for $5 each" in the Computer Section. It's no different on the other side of the fence - my Mac friend (well, acquaintance make that :-) has a copy of Mac software which retails for huge amounts (Page Maker ~ $1000, Pixel Paint Professional ~ $1000). The only way I can see of customising software is to imbed a registration number into the code (something that wouldn't look out of place when disassembled) and sell direct to the user. The software company could then wait for pirate copies to come up (they should be able to get a pirate copy easily as the next guy) and then identify the registration number - giving the identity of the customer it was sold to. Naturally, this registration number would be invisible to the customer. Also, it would do away with the need for nasty programs that are so heavily copy protected that they can't run on fast machine, install on the HD, multitask etc etc. Roddi PS: I have no connection with the above pirate. My only contact with him is to buy hardware (GVP Series II [nice], Epson LQ400 etc) from him.