It's an odd thing, internet piracy. I can't say that I've never used a pirated application or game before, but I still buy the software later on if it's good software. This runs akin to making audio tapes from records, using a VCR to record something on TV and saving pictures, web pages, text (in various forms), and so on. If we're allowed to record tapes, both audio and video, and we're allowed to save pictures and different texts, then we should be allowed to do the same for everything else. Do I think that people should get paid for their work? Yes, I do. But I don't think that companies should overprice their materials, or use ridiculous copy protections (DRM, hello!), or restrict the number of times I can install a software that I PAID FOR. I've had numerous instances where I've reformatted my computer (yes, I'm one of THOSE people), and then reinstalled a software that I paid for WHEN IT WAS NEW (count at least $50 bucks), then get a message that I can't use it because I've installed the software previously on another computer (even though it's the same one)…. Excuse me? I can't use the software that I paid you for? You're going to force me to pay for it again? Screw that. I'll pirate the software and use it without paying for it, and you guys just lost a sale, not only for this product, but for future ones as well. When you're penalized for following the rules, and rewarded for breaking them, what do you THINK people are going to do? Follow the route that gets them what they want, and (of course) is easier for them. Anyway…first point again. Does anyone think that recording from your TV is wrong? The older people that might come here have recorded TV shows before….the people older than that have more than likely either had someone make them a mix tape or mixed their own tape from various sources (radio, records, other tapes, now CDs)… It's the same thing, no matter how you slice it, it's just that people have a new form of sharing. Instead of it being limited to small groups at a time, it's NOT limited, and is world-wide. Anyway..I welcome any responses..but I DARE someone to honestly tell me that they've never copied anything before, be it a drawing, text, music, TV, or saved anything from the internet (including documents, web pages, pictures, etc.).

Awesome pic!

@David Higgins- The following is a definition for 'piracy' from the Oxford dictionary (www.askoxford.com): the unauthorized USE or reproduction of another’s work. If you believe that software piracy is harmless you are being naive… Research has shown that piracy may be linked to international crime syndicates (See links below): www.kuro5hin.org www.zeropaid.com See Sauce IT

All I have to say is you don't really have the knowledge or information to talk about piracy until you watch these 2 films: here and here

Pop up boxes like that have gotten me to purchase software before. I don't mind using illegal software when its a large company with over priced mediocre software but if I know that its a smaller company that actually needs my revenue, its a good piece of software, and its reasonably priced, I'll pay for it in a heartbeat.

It is called copying and decrypting software not piracy…..if it were piracy there would be a boatload of sailors with parakeets peg legs and eye patches drinking rum banging each other in the ass and stealing treasure on a ship. Assholes use the word “piracy” to make a “copyright” issue sound more dramatic than it actually is.

@Bobby White… Ahh Bobby… Can't handle the heat? If you choose to play the role of devil's advocate then you should at least have shoulders broad enough to handle the consequences of your statements… See Sauce IT

okay okay my name is Bobby Whitehead, you caught me. Answer me this, did i ever say i was correct? Did I ever go further than suggesting a question? Just because you think I disagree with you doesn't mean you should go throwing insults around. What ever happened to civil debate?

it is senseless appealing to reason. This “Bob White” knows he is wrong. That;s why he hides in the dark behind a false name. If someone can pin him down, I'll help remove his wedding tackle with a blunt saw.

Excellent article and thoughtful comments on piracy and how it effects indie developers.

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@ JKW… If everybody walked into a grocer and constantly stole food at will, you would probably find that sooner rather than later you would be forced to grow your own food as farmers don't work for free…

It's not really a matter of having the know-how to do something, your argument is similar to the statement “if you know how to grow food of any kind then why do you go to the grocery store to get some?” it's simply an irrelevant factor to the issue. Whether or not you can re-make it yourself doesn't matter, it's purely an issue of convenience for which cracking someone else's code is much more time efficient and economical then re-writting the entire thing yourself.

Anyone notice i made no claims of personal piracy or condoning piracy in general? I was simply supporting a counterpoint to a topic. Can anyone ask a question without getting insulted?

I own a car, but just because I paid for it does not mean I can drive it how ever I like, I still need to follow the rules… It takes an ENORMOUS amount of effort to develop a relevant software product, however it is only worth the developers effort if he/she is getting paid for it… I wonder if Bob White works for free? Anyway, when you installed that software ONTO your hard drive you probably (whether you know it or not) accepted a legal document that binds you to the terms of use specified by that developer… and more often than not a commercial license will forbid the modification of the installed software (a condition you would have accepted if you agreed to said EULA), doing so is against the law!

bob, magnetic iron oxide particles on yer hdd. 1's and 0's are in yer head. fool.

@Bob White Oh good lord Bob. Even using that analogy is awful! You still need to use a toothbrush and toothpaste. You CAN use a twig but you choose not to because someone has gone to all the trouble of designing and manufacturing a toothbrush which is far more efficient. Yes, you're quite right, the HDD is yours and all the 1's and 0's on it but arranging them in a particular order is something that you either haven't the time or the skill to perform yourself and so have to rely upon other people to do it for you. At what point did it become acceptable for you to use up other people's time and expertise and do it for free? Get a job and and refuse to be paid for it and then I'll take your comments seriously. Obie

Because i don't know how to arrange the 1s and 0s in a particular way to be beneficial, but someone else does. So should it be illegal for someone to tell me how?

If crackers (NOT hackers) are so smart why don't they just develop a similar piece of software and release it under some open license… Oh that's right, they can't, because they don't have the know how… and are too brainless to take the time and learn. @ Bob White… If you are so good at manipulating 1's and 0's why do you pirate software and not just manufacture your own?

guilt makes me want to hit im for being a twat, then pay for his software.