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From: brown@nicmad.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: Re: Copy Protection - a case study
Message-ID: <472@nicmad.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 15-Dec-85 23:06:55 EST
Article-I.D.: nicmad.472
Posted: Sun Dec 15 23:06:55 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Dec-85 06:41:10 EST
References: <3624@think.UUCP> <131300002@ima.UUCP> <882@ecsvax.UUCP> <883@ecsvax.UUCP> <465@looking.UUCP> <1799@uwmacc.UUCP>
Reply-To: brown@nicmad.UUCP (Mr. Video)
Organization: Nicolet Instrument Corp. Madison WI
Lines: 49

In article <1799@uwmacc.UUCP> demillo@uwmacc.UUCP (Rob DeMillo) writes:
>Now, the "solution" to which I would appreciate comments about,
>since I have never heard it mentioned yet - but it seems to make
>sense:
>
>	(a) Resign yourself to the fact that you are going
>	    to lose sales. Period.
Agreed.
>	(b) On every disk you sell, grant the buyer the right
>	    to make unlimited backup copies for his/her
>	    own personal use.
Already permitted by law.
>	(c) On EVERY distributed diskette, include (somewhere)
>	    in the code an encrypted serial number. Keep a
>	    record of which user has which serial number.
Great.  So what!  You have a record of where you shipped it.  But you rely
on the customer to send back the card.  Most of us users DO NOT send back that
dumb little card.  End of bookkeeping.
>	(d) If you find a pirated copy of your code, check
>	    the serial number and trace it back to the
>	    source! 
Above note says why it won't work.
>	(e) Prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.
Fine.
>
>This scheme has several advantages:
>	(a) Ease of implementation - only need good
>	    bookkeeping to keep track of the serial #s.
And users who will send back the cards.
>	(b) Not dangerous - never any worry of your
>	    clients disks getting accidently wisked away
>	    to the Twilight Zone.
Twilight Zone only happens if 'let's kill um' code is added.
>	(c) MOST IMPORTANT: respect from your clients
>	    because you have respect for them. (And
>	    that's what it's all about, ain't it?)
Now, if Lotus would do that.
>	(d) Realism: no one can protect anything, anyway, no how!
Very true.
>
>Comments?
What there is is types above.
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Mr. Video      seismo!uwvax!nicmad!brown
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