Here is a suggestion for Google. Pirates have very clear buying patterns. Most can be spotted easily.
Analyse the market for buyers who repeatedly buy apps and then get a refund in under 5 minutes. Then block those users. I can see these guys normally pirate 2 of my apps in the space of 5 minutes. The guys who do pirate both apps in quick succession really stand out. If i were to compare my pirate data with that of other developers i am sure we could make a nice ranking of "Top pirates" this week, month or year... Since Google has all the data, why not do this behind the scenes... On Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 6:03 PM, Zsolt Vasvari <zvasv...@gmail.com> wrote: >> Back to the main topic, the data does not show that "piracy is indeed a >> significant problem", but shows that many non-paying users are using your >> app. The big question is would they have paid for your had they not been >> able to get hold of the pirate version. That's a very difficult question to >> answer. > > I think it's hugely dependent on the app. If you think a functionally > simple app like Screebl, which basically either works or doesn't work, > a pirated copy is as good as a legitamate one. > > If you take a more complex app like mine, which is a personal finance > package, you may need support and new features. In my 500 paid > downloads, I'd consider 3% pirated, which I define by getting it > refunded within 20 mins. While 500 downloads is not 10,000 like > Screebl, I think it's still a significant sample. I record the names > of all refunds and mark the "pirates" as well. I get questions and > feature requests all the time, but I've yet to see a non-legitimate > user ask for help. I think it's one thing to pirate, another to have > the nerve to ask the developer for support. I believe, if it comes to > that one of these users need help, they would probably just buy the > app. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "Android Developers" group. > To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" group. To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
