EBay UK Selling Jukebox with Freebox on it!!!

[eist1]

Barry, Do you anything about this listing on the UK EBay site http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120292812865 It looks like someone is trying to sell their jukebox using the Freebox software. I just sent the seller a question asking if you knew about it, and if you didn't to give the buyer the Freebox link so they could download the software and you'd get the $25. All if Barry doesn't know anything about it, we need to fill the sellers inbox with questions/comments....

[eist1]

OK, just got a message back from teh seller, he says it is the Trial software that is running on it, and that the buyer will need to come to the site and pay the $25 to get the full version. Not sure if it's true or not, but at least if it is true, it will bring some more money to Barry.

[Barcrest]

I found the seller, he was a member here and i have banned him. The CD he was selling had several jukebox applications on there and i have reported him to ebay. I also contacted the people who brought the CD's off him and informed them that they have obtained the software illegally. Due to this i have now pulled all V4 demos down and I am re-thinking what I will be doing regarding the next release and security issues.

[spacefractal]

(EDITED)

You can do nothing about it, and piracy is allways hitted any software where money is invoked, regardless its shareware or commercial.

Its a bit upset when you pulled the demo out due to one person piracy selling, and people was nice to report that.

Here I actuelly found a really nice thread about a developer why people piracy software (he asked why people pirate):
http://www.positech.co.uk/talkingtopirates.html

I think the time limit in demo was nice, even it might been easy to crack by crackers, if they want that. If a person have distributed to a CD, I hope it was the demo version, not the full version. They still need to dotate to you anyway.

Here I think a donate nag in the full version would been nice, if the software was moved to a new machine, because the hardware fingerprint have been changed. That nag should of course only show once or two and should stay a miniute or two. That make sure they are aware about it.

[Barcrest]

I pulled the demo for 2 reasons. That version was to easy to crack and I also wanted to bring it in line with the current release which is far more stable.

[spacefractal]

All software can been cracked if they want to do that. Otherwice they just get the full version and spread that, if they want (even they might got banned after that). A time limit might been very easy to crack. Best option is remove some features too.

I do pretty sure people who want support you, would pay you too, before they finish off thier cabinet and is in real use. Some acutelly might paid you too, even they have used a pirate software of same software.

[Barcrest]

The issue here isn't really the piracy although I was not happy about it. The fact that he was charging for it really got my goat. £12, that is more than i make per copy. I know i will not be able to stop leaked copies, but I will not let people charge for my software. Did you know your jukebox was on that CD as well.

[spacefractal]

Crap, I understand that.

I think a good hardware fingerprint to the user would been a good idea. I do that in my next version, so if a user moved my software to a new machine, the donate nag would show again.

I think you should do the same in both demo as well full version. So even if people try to charge the software, the nag would been info if you have got a illigal version and consult the users to dotate to the author of the application.

This can been done because the hardware fingerprint would been changed on this type of distro (unless if the software got cracked of course).

Thanks for the "warning".

[squirrellydw]

I also reported him

[kizer]

Same here.

As soon as I saw it I flooded Barcrest with Ideas on how to stop it. Of course its easy for us to come up with ideas, but does nothing if Barcrest can't implement them or implement them easily.

I can't remember which software I have, never mind I found it. I have this software.
http://www.magic-tagger.com/eng/index.php

When you download its in demo mode. When you register it by clicking a button within the app it gives you a code. Im not sure if the code is generated from a time/date of install or something else. Then you purchase the app and enter the code that was generated and they give you another code that you enter. Both codes are some how used together.

If you move that app to another machine and try and use the unlock code they sent you it does not work because well the code the app generates isn't the same.

Kinda slick. I moved the app to another machine and gave them all my info and it was done for free.

[spacefractal]

Piracy would allways been there. That it.

Would Barcrest want to use his time each time a users need a new code? Most might test Freebox in work machine and then move to the jukebox machine.....

Please note:
This was not really directly a piracy problem, but more a person charged software demos as well freeware as I was understand.

[kizer]

No, I was just using that as an extreme to show that you can lock things down that tight.

The problem I had was it was a test machine I used the software on and had to move it. It wasn't hard, but it was what it was I guess.