Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utai!dudek
From: dudek@utai.UUCP (Gregory Dudek)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Copy protection (was Re: Crystal Quest)
Message-ID: <4219@utai.UUCP>
Date: 15 Jan 88 21:01:06 GMT
References: <630@PT.CS.CMU.EDU> <38636@sun.uucp>
Reply-To: dudek@ai.UUCP (Gregory Dudek)
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
Lines: 30
Summary: 


    Well, this is probably a dangerous request to post, but
does anybody have any references or suggestions of how to
incorporate copy-protection into a Mac program?
    Of course we all hate it, but I don't really think key-disk
based copy protection is all that bad.  In particular, reliable
stats for the application-domain I'm working with indicate that
copy protection has had a ** TEN_FOLD ** effect on sales (i.e.
the best program increased sales ten times when copy protection was
added, implying that a reasonable number of users bought who
had copies had to buy originals [yes, I know sales could have increased
for other reasons like the new version being better]).

    The problem is: are there reliable copy-protection methods for the
Mac that are reasonably portable between system configurations?
    I know about techniques for the Apple II, and I wish I didn't.

    BTW, there's one program I know of that STARTS UP when you
try and inspect it with MacTools (yes, I've seen it happen).  Does
MacTools include a hook to prevent it from looking a specially flagged
programs??  [The program is professional composer version 2.2]

    Thanks, Greg Dudek
-- 
Dept. of Computer Science (vision group)    University of Toronto
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