Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site cadovax.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!hao!hplabs!sdcrdcf!trwrb!trwrba!cadovax!keithd From: keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle) Newsgroups: net.games,net.micro.apple Subject: Re: Software Piracy (loooong) Message-ID: <485@cadovax.UUCP> Date: Thu, 21-Mar-85 15:00:46 EST Article-I.D.: cadovax.485 Posted: Thu Mar 21 15:00:46 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 30-Mar-85 06:18:34 EST References: <296@unm-cvax.UUCP> Organization: Contel Cado, Torrance, CA Lines: 102 Xref: linus net.games:1240 net.micro.apple:1441 [..........] Of similar interest, here is a letter found in the mail section of Unix World, Oct. 84: Gentlemen: The feature article "Software Security and the Pin-Striped Pirate," in the March/April 1984 isisue of UNIX/WORLD was well thought out and useful. Unfortunately when Mr. Auditore cam to economic analysis, he merely parroted vendors' claims, which have all teh sophistication and economic insight of a sales representative calculating the commission. A more thorough analysis is needed. One may easily observe: (a) Unsupported (pilfered) copies of commercial software represent a competeitive force (arguably an unfair one) to keep prices down. If Context, Lotus, Microsoft, and Sorcim all announced the withdrawl of their spreadsheet products from the market and a recall of all copies previously sold, would VisiCorp respond by selling VisiCalc at $50? (b) The widespread use of unsupported (including pilfered) software is indicative of how highly the marketplace values the support currently offered by vendors. One can compare this to the proliferation of "no-frills" stock brokers, "you-bag-it" grocery stores, and "self-serve" gas stations. (This should not be taken as equating the legal status of any of these to pilfered software.) Only as it becomes uneconomic to pilfer software will it cease. Do moral preachments and draconian threats have a good track record? From a sociological perspective, most people whom I have observed as having any appreciable quantity of unsupported (including pilfered) software generally have vast heaps of it and never use more than even a small portion. Others use pilfered software as a result (they say) of bad experiences with the deplorable quality of software which they legitimately purchased. Paying several hundred dollars for a highly touted product to discover that a far less expensive has far greater functionality can reduce one's good will toward all manufacturers. One could also easily claim that no company with more than 10 employees should even pretend that it supports the microcomputer user (MicroAm and GerundiveStar). I should also note a most penetrating and provocative analysis of copyright at the end of "Sony Versus Universal Studies: So What?" in PC Tech Journal, 1:8 ( May 1984) pp. 197-201. Thank you, Ross Parlette, Bldg. 0010 computer systems specialist United Technologies Chemical Systems P.O. Box 50015 San Jose, CA 95150-0015 (408) 779-9121 Authors response: The perception that software theft is a positive competitive market force is similar to thinking that shoplifting from a department store is helping to keep prices down. Major retail outlets allocate 2-3 percent of the sales total to "lost" merchandise. Clearly they don't accept 2-3 percent less profit. To insure that this percentage does not hit their bottom line, it is added into the price of all products being sold. The software business is much the same. Instead of Mr. Parlette's utopia, where software pirates are keeping software prices down, what we have is the rest of us supporting these Brooks Brothers buccaneers by having the losses attributed to piracy added to the price of our legitimate purchases. Regarding the value of vendor-offered support, it is important to remember that the software vendor decides what the product is and how much he thinks it's worth. If you don't agree with the vendor's valuation, you don't have to buy it. But one of the options upon disagreement of valuation is not the right to steal it. Certainly a case can be made for "no-frills" software, similar to a self-serve gas station, but remember, you still pay for the gas. Software piracy is just as much a crime as is shoplifting a pair of Calvin Klein jeans from Macy's. However, because of our inability to fully comprehend the concept of intellectual property, there is no social stigma attatched to the rape and pillage of a software program. Instead the hackers that rip us all off are condescended to: "My, how bright! Isn't that clever?" Indeed. Just as clever as the people who engineered the Brinks robbery or the thugs who robbed the local 7-11 store. - Steve Auditore Keith Doyle # {ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax}!trwrb!cadovax!keithd P.S. I wonder how Steve figures you can know whether or not you agree with the vendor's valuation of his software if you haven't ALREADY bought it. Personally, what I object to most, is the fact that if I upgrade my computer system to new and better hardware, I have to throw my old software away. After you've bought that same spreadsheet or compiler or whatever enough times, you really begin to wonder what you're getting for your money.