Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!ncr-sd!hp-sdd!hplabs!hp-pcd!hpcvca!charles
From: charles@hpcvca.HP.COM (Charles Brown)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Software Development And Piracy (Spurred By FTL replies)
Message-ID: <5660023@hpcvca.HP.COM>
Date: 15 Dec 88 01:02:47 GMT
References: <555@icus.islp.ny.us>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Corvallis, Oregon
Lines: 28

>>>In the old days pirates were hunted down, tried (sometimes) and hung. 
>>>We can be a little more lenient, but if your neighbor next door or the kid 
>>>down the street were caught and fined, their friends and neighbors might 
>>>be a little less inclined to steal software. 

>>Isn't that a bit too drastic?  ...

>Yes and no. The fine for pirating software should be the list price of
>that software.
 ...
>Simple no? The pirate
>is either discouraged or the software company gets their money.

Wrong.  This does not discourage the pirate.  Why bother ever paying
for software when the cost of getting caught is merely paying for the
software.  Why should anyone else (including police OR well meaning
witnesses) go to the expense, effort, and risk of exposing this thief
if all the thief will have to do is pay for what he should have paid
for in the first place.

If the probability of getting caught is 1/100, and the cost of the
product is $100, then the cost of getting caught needs to be GREATER
THAN 100*$100 or $10000 to be effective.  Think of it a a simple
gamble.  If the fine is less than this, then the theft is on the
average a good gamble.
--
	Charles Brown		charles%hpcvca@hplabs.hp.com
	Not representing my employer.