Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cmcl2!adm!smoke!gwyn From: gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: Re: Piracy Message-ID: <10294@smoke.BRL.MIL> Date: 19 May 89 18:48:35 GMT References: Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn) Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD. Lines: 17 In article davidbrierley@lynx.northeastern.edu writes: >dilemma here is that user A buys a spreadsheet version 1.5 for $180, then >user B buys version 1.6 a month later for $180. User A must shell out about >another $30 to get version 1.6, so the real cost of the version for a more >long term customer is $210. The question is whether or not this is a case >of piracy on the part of the software publisher (discriminatory pricing). I don't know what notion of "piracy" would include charging for upgrades, but it would have to be a very warped notion. Part of what one user A obtained for his money was the ability to use the product for a period of time. There is no need for him to upgrade just because a newer version has been released; his original purchase decision was based on the value to him of the earlier version of the product. There is no such thing as an "early version penalty". You (or somebody) just invented that in an attempt to justify ripping off software producers.