software piracy (was "Interactive and me")

[Tom Reingold]

I am amazed that a basic point has not yet been made yet!

Copy protection, serialization and other methods may prevent illegal
copies.  But they do not necessarily make someone buy a product!  If
someone can't copy something illegally, he may just do without it.  He
may not be a potential sale at all.  So you haven't lost anything from
him if he has an illegal copy of your software.  You may gain good
word-of-mouth from him if he evaluates the software well and tells
potential customers about it.  But you haven't lost anything.

This is why schemes such as these are such a big mistake.
--
                                        Tom Reingold
                                        tr at samadams.princeton.edu
                                        rutgers!princeton!samadams!tr
                                        201-577-5814
                                        "Brew strength depends upon the
                                         amount of coffee used." -Black&Decker