Once I could duplicate that, I wrote a small program that started poking values into memory until I figured out where the graphics memory started, and in what order it got filled. I got some fame and attention for being a cool dude. I was the geek that had cracked the puzzle on his own. But it didn't matter, I was first, and I had high-res demo's out for months before anyone else could. Of course it was wrong, because if companies can't make money, then they will stop writing programs.
Programmers deserve to be compensated for their work.
Many people used specialized programs to defeat copy-protection and make duplicate disks. That was one way to do it. It was a far more difficult than just copying or ripping things off. It was a way to thumb your nose at them. Brute Force One way to crack was brute force.