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Path: utzoo!watmath!watdaisy!ijdavis
From: ijdavis@watdaisy.UUCP (Ian Davis)
Newsgroups: net.games,net.micro.apple
Subject: Re: Software Piracy
Message-ID: <7171@watdaisy.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 3-Apr-85 22:04:33 EST
Article-I.D.: watdaisy.7171
Posted: Wed Apr  3 22:04:33 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 4-Apr-85 07:06:23 EST
References: <324@cmu-cs-spice.ARPA>
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 16
Xref: watmath net.games:1787 net.micro.apple:1849

I read in a current medical journal (my wife is a doctor) that someone
had come up with a clever solution to piracy... They give out software for
free, and urge that it be distributed.. The rider is that the software
contains a header notice inviting all users to contribute to the development
of additional software (if they liked the product) by making a charitable
donation to the developers of the software...
Frankly, I strongly suspect that most receivers of under-the-counter software
would be glad to contribute to the developers but don't have any reasonable
way of doing it.  However, most people hate parting with cash too....
Overall, this seems like a risky venture but probably no riskier than any other
distribution method. As said earlier I market bridge and cribbage software
for the P.C. and my advertising is current over $1,000 for 7 small lines in
the blue book of P.C. for 6 issues.. That alone has put me out of business
since sales are at around 100 copies.
If anyone likes the above copy-protection idea send mail to me..
I don't read net.games as much as I should.... all work and no play...