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From: lauren@Rand-Unix.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: copy protection
Message-ID: <12306@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Apr-84 03:59:42 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.12306
Posted: Mon Apr 16 03:59:42 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Apr-84 01:45:16 EST
Lines: 21

I'll agree with you on one point (and it may be our only point of
agreement).  Copy protection is a pain.  It's a pain for the people
who buy software, for the people who sell software, and (to some
extent, we assume) for the software pirates.  Given that no copy
protection system can be perfect (though hardware-based systems
utilizing encryption could make bypass very difficult) they may tend
to act more as a challenge to pirates than as an effective deterrent.

I for one would feel very insecure about buying software without
some capability for backup.  However, under such conditions, I 
wouldn't copy/steal the software -- I would simply do without
if I was unwilling to put up with the non-backup hassle.

It is unlikely that I will incorporate copy protection into any
of the software that I sell in the future -- unless the backup
problem can be solved in a reasonable manner.  I will most certainly
be ripped-off as a result.  Unfortunately, the alternative would be
to make life very painful for the buyers of such software, and I also
find that unacceptable.

--Lauren--