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Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?

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Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?

#71

Post by yjftsjthsd-h »

vorpalhex wrote: post #42
hh3k0 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Don’t demonize your user base […] Build multiple telemetry code paths in your code — if you can just get IP addresses of offenders you’ll have way more info than now. Sorry, but from where I stand that absolutely looks like demonizing the user base.

I think the parent means more "analyze why they are pirating" (is your price for a given too country in a weird spot, is it an unapproved software purchase, etc)

Okay, but the suggestion amounts to "track all your users, including the legitimate ones who paid you, all the time".

Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?

#72

Post by dns_snek »

aceazzameen wrote: post #23
adzm wrote: post #6

Subscription based licensing can be really useful for getting legitimate users who can't fork over a thousand dollars at once. IMO Adobe creative cloud is a great example of this working out well.

Unfortunately it also generates negative press on social media from frustrated users, and people who avoid subscriptions will avoid the product. But if you're an already established market leader that doesn't care, then subscriptions are fine.

I'm not a fan of subscription services but there are decent compromises to be had, e.g. Jetbrains model where you receive a perpetual fallback version after a year.

Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?

#73

Post by jollyllama »

chabad360 wrote: post #26
adzm wrote: post #6

Subscription based licensing can be really useful for getting legitimate users who can't fork over a thousand dollars at once. IMO Adobe creative cloud is a great example of this working out well.

It's really not, Creative Cloud is the most pirated software suite in the world, and the company that makes it is almost universally hated by its customers.

Agreed, the software I am most likely to buy (and least likely to try to use without buying) is one with a lifetime license and offline activation for unlimited machines, even if it's just for one version. That's very valuable to me; as long as I can access the key and installer, I know I will always be able to run it.

Subscriptions are a negative value, it's something that'll bleed me dry as long as I have it.

Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?

#74

Post by AnIdiotOnTheNet »

I agree with others saying "do nothing"... mostly. Trying to prevent piracy is a waste of time and resources better spent on people who actually pay you money. To that end, if you do anything, the goal should be to ensure that you can tell the difference between who is paying and who isn't. You don't want to field support for cracked copies.

Some developers I know and will not name have been known to leak their own cracked copies of their product, just to ensure that there is something broken about them that easily identifies them as a cracked copy.

Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?

#75

Post by huhtenberg »

bitexploder wrote: post #18
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #12

I’d suggest taking a page from Adobe and Microsoft. They fight pirating, and that prevents it from becoming absolutely endemic, but they don’t really lose massive amounts of sleep over the cracks, because every cracked copy is training people to use their software. Sort of “The Old Dope Peddler” model. It’s not really correct to assume every cracked copy is a lost sale. Instead, think of it as indoctrination of possi…

Even be cheeky. Detect when the software is cracked (signature/binary hash changed) and message the user “we see your version is corrupt or cracked, you may want to reinstall. If you are using this software without paying for it ”. You can invest some time in obfuscation and more frequent releases, but I would not spend a lot of effort on it.

This too will be trimmed from the cracked version just.

Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?

#77

Post by 908B64B197 »

PreInternet01 wrote: post #29

Congratulations! Having cracked versions out there indicates that your software is both useful and notable, which is a point where many developers would love to arrive at, maybe, one day. As to what to do about it, there are two basic tracks, neither of which is incompatible with the other: 1. The legal route: notifying distribution sites that they're hosting content in violation of copyright law, requesting takedown…

There's a third option:

If the software supports getting updates, get the cracked copies to phone home and have a legal firm send them a warning they might be using hacked software.

Home users won't care, but legitimate businesses might convert to actual sales.

Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?

#78

Post by 908B64B197 »

SecurityMinded wrote: post #20
tlb wrote: post #8

You might consider offering more free or cheap versions, like a student edition (cheap with no proof required) and a free trial. Wolfram, for instance, does both. Not many real companies will cheat, and it's better to have users who can't pay using an official version than a cracked one. Perhaps they start using it in an un-funded skunkworks project, then buy a full license when the project gets funded.

This shows that you have never dealt with companies in 3rd world countries. When money is tight, which is always in those countries, there is not a cheap-enough price that you can make them pay. They want the benefit of the product but they do nit want to pay anything for it. So, a free trial version in those places, will turn into a perpetual "free" trial. Same for "no proof needed" student/academic versions. Unfort…

> Same for "no proof needed" student/academic versions.

At this point why not exclusively offer it to legitimate university users (with a valid .edu address)?

Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?

#79

Post by KomoD »

riyakhanna1983 wrote: post #69

Plug: in the past, I helped a few companies and OSS devs track usage of their code in mobile apps https://codescout.app/ and provide leads. Happy to chat if this is relevant.

It's not relevant, it's just you trying to advertise

Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?

#80

Post by aceazzameen »

dns_snek wrote: post #72
aceazzameen wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately it also generates negative press on social media from frustrated users, and people who avoid subscriptions will avoid the product. But if you're an already established market leader that doesn't care, then subscriptions are fine.

I'm not a fan of subscription services but there are decent compromises to be had, e.g. Jetbrains model where you receive a perpetual fallback version after a year.

I agree that there are decent subscription models. Adobe, however, isn't one of them.
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