Companies that produce software have had to cope with software that is expensive to develop, while the disks on which it is distributed are inexpensive to reproduce. The making and swapping of “pirated” copies of software is just about as old as the personal computer itself. Software piracy has taken a number of forms, ranging from teenaged hackers making extra copies of games to factories (often in Asia) that stamp out thousands of bogus copies of Windows operating systems and programs that would cost hundreds of dollars apiece if legitimate (see software piracy and counterfeiting).
To prevent such copying, software producers in the 1980s often recorded the programs on floppy disks in a spe-cial format that made them hard to copy successfully. One way to do this is to record key information on disk tracks that are not normally read by the operating system and thus not reproduced by an ordinary copy command. When such a program runs, it can use a special device control routine to read the “hidden” track. If it does not find the identifying information there, it knows the disk is not a legitimate copy.
Another way to do copy protection is by having the program look for a small hardware device called a “dongle” connected to the computer, usually to the parallel printer port. Since the dongle is distributed only with the legiti-mate program, it can serve as an effective form of copy protection. (Encryption can also be used to render copies unusable without the key.)
Decline of Copy Protection
Copy protection has a number of drawbacks. Because disk-based copy protection writes on nonstandard tracks, even legitimate programs may not work with certain models of disk or CD drive. And because the legitimate user is unable to make a backup copy of the disk, if it is damaged, the user will be unable to use the program. Dongles, on the other hand, can interfere with the operation of other devices con-nected to the port, and a user might be required to use mul-tiple dongles for multiple programs.
During the 1990s, copy protection was generally phased out, except for some games. A variety of other strategies are used against software piracy. The Software Publishers Asso-ciation (SPA) maintains a program in which disgruntled users can report unauthorized copying of software at their workplace. Companies that allow unauthorized copying of software can be sued for violating the terms of their soft-ware license. International trade negotiations can include provisions for cracking down on the massive “cloning” of major software packages abroad.
With modern software, “soft” copy protection gener-ally still exists in the form of requiring the typing in of a serial number from the CD, often combined with online “activation” or “validation,” as with Microsoft Windows and Office products. The online validation process can forestall the use of valid but duplicated serial numbers (see digital rights management and software piracy and counterfeiting).
Hackers and cyber-libertarians have often argued that the problem of software piracy has been overrated, and that allowing the copying of software would enable more people who would not otherwise buy programs to try them out. Once someone likes the program, they might buy it not only for legitimacy of ownership, but in order to get access to the technical support and regular upgrades that are often required for complex business software packages. For less expensive software, an alternative channel (see shareware) allows for a “try before you buy” distribution of software.
To prevent such copying, software producers in the 1980s often recorded the programs on floppy disks in a spe-cial format that made them hard to copy successfully. One way to do this is to record key information on disk tracks that are not normally read by the operating system and thus not reproduced by an ordinary copy command. When such a program runs, it can use a special device control routine to read the “hidden” track. If it does not find the identifying information there, it knows the disk is not a legitimate copy.
Another way to do copy protection is by having the program look for a small hardware device called a “dongle” connected to the computer, usually to the parallel printer port. Since the dongle is distributed only with the legiti-mate program, it can serve as an effective form of copy protection. (Encryption can also be used to render copies unusable without the key.)
Decline of Copy Protection
Copy protection has a number of drawbacks. Because disk-based copy protection writes on nonstandard tracks, even legitimate programs may not work with certain models of disk or CD drive. And because the legitimate user is unable to make a backup copy of the disk, if it is damaged, the user will be unable to use the program. Dongles, on the other hand, can interfere with the operation of other devices con-nected to the port, and a user might be required to use mul-tiple dongles for multiple programs.
During the 1990s, copy protection was generally phased out, except for some games. A variety of other strategies are used against software piracy. The Software Publishers Asso-ciation (SPA) maintains a program in which disgruntled users can report unauthorized copying of software at their workplace. Companies that allow unauthorized copying of software can be sued for violating the terms of their soft-ware license. International trade negotiations can include provisions for cracking down on the massive “cloning” of major software packages abroad.
With modern software, “soft” copy protection gener-ally still exists in the form of requiring the typing in of a serial number from the CD, often combined with online “activation” or “validation,” as with Microsoft Windows and Office products. The online validation process can forestall the use of valid but duplicated serial numbers (see digital rights management and software piracy and counterfeiting).
Hackers and cyber-libertarians have often argued that the problem of software piracy has been overrated, and that allowing the copying of software would enable more people who would not otherwise buy programs to try them out. Once someone likes the program, they might buy it not only for legitimacy of ownership, but in order to get access to the technical support and regular upgrades that are often required for complex business software packages. For less expensive software, an alternative channel (see shareware) allows for a “try before you buy” distribution of software.
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