On Tue, 23 Nov 1999, Brian Mathis wrote:
> It's not a matter of personal preference, but US Federal copyright law.
> But that's another matter.
Not to mention that this isn't just copyright infringement - cracking
software to remove the need for paid registration is theft. It always
amazes me how many people wouldn't dream of stealing from a
shop/bank/whatever but are quite happy to pirate software... even for some
absurdly low registration fee.
> It seems that the intent of that message is to inform developers that
> there are sites out there, and lets developers know if their applications
> have been compromised. I think this is a very useful thing to have. You
> can't just turn your head and pretend they don't exist.
Agreed - particularly the smaller developers who may be trying to make a
living from selling their software, only to find it's available cracked
and for free. It's these kinds of people who are hurt the most.
I tend to report warez sites immediately to any relevant copyright
holders, plus the ISP or organisation hosting the site - giving the URL
and any contact details present. I would recommend others do the same.
John
