From: EcoDev@cup.portal.com (Eco - Development)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Why the Piracy? Here's why...
Date: Tue,  5 Jan 93 22:39:11 PST
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
  <C0E0Kr.34p@world.std.com> <C0EoyL.LG7@news.udel.edu>

>
>Well said.  But there is still a distinction.  With piracy, as well as
>with stealing a box, the company has R&D costs.  But it is only with the
>box that there is an actual *per unit* cost of production.  Think of it this

 I don't think so.  If you steal a copy of software (notice I use
 'steal'),  you are depriving the developer of his/her per unit
 royalty.


>way: if you steal ten identical boxes for yourself but only use one, you have
>stolen a value of ten times the production cost of a single unit, for the
>packaging alone if nothing else.  Copying software also hurts the
>developer, but not in the same way: a company's total R&D costs
>for a single piece of software are the same, no matter whether you make
>yourself one copy or ten.
>
  Wrong.  Every 'stolen' copy of software that gets used is 'stealing'
  royalty payments from the developers.  Most software is written by contract
  developers, or private developers who only recover their development
  cost through royaties.  The difference between shoplifting and
  pirating software is not nearly as great as you make it out to be.
  When you purchase software you are not purchasing the packaging,
  (unless you are a moron),  you are purchasing the information encoded
  on the distribution media.  Software, music, video, any product that is
  sold as 'content' instead of as a 'material', lends itself to
  'Reproduction by the Masses',  meaning the average consumer can make a
  reasonable copy of the original content.  Just because we live in a
  society where copying videos, software and music is done as a way of
  life does not make the act any less than what it is, which is stealing!

>People who are do piracy are aware of this distinction.  Those of
>us who want to discourage piracy would thus be wise not to draw an
>erroneous parallel between shoplifting and piracy.  I think it's best to
>stay focused on the *real* issue, which is that developers have a right to
>be paid when you use the intellectual property which they have created.
>Piracy and shoplifting are both wrong, but for different reasons.
>Claiming that the two are the same fools nobody and merely gives pirates
>an excuse by which to justify themselves.
>
>--Kurisuto
>

  By claiming there is a difference between the two (shoplifting and
 piracy) you give latitude for excuses.  Piracy and shoplifting are wrong
 for exactly the *SAME* reason, it's stealing, plain and simple.
 I hardly ever post to messages about piracy,  but I figured since you
 are 'working on saleable software' (your words) maybe you better open
 your eyes.  I make my living soley from software development, I work
 for nobody and like it that way, I used to pirate software but after
 being on the other end of the stick for awhile, I now purchase all
 software that I use.  There is a strong arguement for being able to 
 try software before you purchase it,  and thats the excuse most 
 affluent pirates use,  and I think that shold be encouraged but in 
 a manner that places the end user in direct contact with the developer
 or publisher, instead of with the local bulletin board.  If any pirate
 thinks that they are not doing anybody any harm when they copy a piece
 of software they are sadly mistaken.  Many good companies have gone under
 for financial reasons. 

	My software generated just under a million dollars in revenue 
 last year (for my publisher),  my cut was $50,000.00, that may or may 
 not sound pretty good to you, but I have three years and at least $80,000 
 dollars invested in it.  My publishers monthly advertising budget is 
 $65,000, and we are very small potatoes these days. To even get noticed 
 by distributors you have to be able to prove to them that you can 
 generate 30-60k in sales for them each month.  Don't get me wrong,  
 I'm not whining or preaching, just pointing out the facts.  It has 
 been estimated that there are three stolen copies of software out there 
 for every legal one.  I think that estimate is ridiculously low, but 
 even at that I would have made over $100,000 last year.  Maybe when 
 you get into the real world of software marketing you will see the light,
 I hope so, because the more people that do, the better off the software 
 industry will be.
 

 
Brick Eksten  Eco Development

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