Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac:10874 comp.misc:1670
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!looking!brad
From: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.misc
Subject: Re: Copy protection and the consumer
Message-ID: <1319@looking.UUCP>
Date: 19 Jan 88 06:33:37 GMT
References: <4663@watdragon.waterloo.edu> <3823@husc6.harvard.edu>
Reply-To: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Organization: Looking Glass Software Ltd.
Lines: 52

In article <4663@watdragon.waterloo.edu> palarson@watdragon.waterloo.edu writes:
>Several wierd and wonderful methods of copy protection(such as serial numbers,
>dongles, and sentinel-viruses) have been proposed.

A hardware serial number (such as serial port dongles were supposed to
provide) is not copy protection at all.

Such protection (checking a hardware or OS serial number) provides no
impediment to copying the software, making backups, running software off
networks, hard disks and ramdisks etc.

The only thing it stops is running the same software on multiple machines.
The only legitimate reasons for this are:
	a) One machine is replaced, either due to upgrade or hardware failure,
	   or a user changes machines
	b) A user wishes to use the same package at home or at work, or in
	   two offices
	c) A consultant wishes to use the software at a large variety of
	   sites.

As for A and B, as long as the vendor is reasonable, this does not present
a problem.  Most vendors would be glad to handle machine upgrade for free,
and dual machine use for a minor fee, if not free.

Part C is the only problem.  Either vendors must be willing to grant
special licences to such users, provide portable hardware serial numbers
(dongles) for such special cases, or come to some other arrangement with
that small group of customers.

We haven't seen hardware serial numbers up to now, and we won't see them,
because it's against the interest of the hardware vendors to do anything
to prevent software piracy.  It's good for a hardware vendor to sell a machine
that it's easy to get "free" software for.

The best potential source for serial numbers is the operating system.

	LISTENING, MICROSOFT OS/2 GROUP?

Put a serial number into OS/2 and an official call to get it.  Actually
put several levels of serial number (machine, network, division, company ...)
to allow all kinds of licencing.

Of course, somebody could pirate the OS/2 AND the application, but they
would be forced to do all their pirating through one user.  Many companies
will turn a blind eye to pirating, but few will have a deliberate
corporate policy of piracy.

The presence of serial numbers in OS/2 would encourage software makers
to move their best stuff to OS/2, where it couldn't be pirated, but where
this protection caused no inconvenience to the customers.
-- 
Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473