Make it less crackable in the future.
Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?
261–270 of 297 posts
Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?
#262Earlier quoted context omitted.
These days the companies won and modern game DRM often doesn’t get cracked for the first year if at all.
Steam seems to have significantly reduced the market for pirated games. Streaming did that for movies for a while, until every single production company decided start their own.
The difference is that it is always possible to rip a movie but cracking games with server side computations could be practically impossible.
Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?
#263Congratulations! 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…
> But above all, make sure not to confuse a "pirated copy" with a "lost sale".
The one time I had software cracked and pirated sales pretty much dried up immediately upon its release.
This is probably true if your audience is primarily people who aren't particularly technically minded, but my product was no doubt most appealing to the same kind of people who know how to pirate software.
Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?
#264OP here. I want to thank everyone for their comments, contributions and suggestions! The HN community definitely came through on this. Some general answers: - An important point that I missed: we offer trial licenses. - If necessary, we work with the customer to establish payment plans. Apparently it even happened today! - The crack is being hosted on a site dedicated to cracked software, so I'm not sure if DMCA appl…
You can point ICANN towards the site, but really most just reform elsewhere ... and it's probably shared another half a dozen places that have walled off the search bots.
I'd also add rather than trial ware, if possible, creating a free lite version, some places stick to a depowered full version but IMO something separate devoid of any protection scheme that might be there as well as important code, offers light functionality ... and share it out P2P without announcing at the main site - have an internal link within the software that points to the site, and the hidden download announce page that has the official file share - along with md5 or other authentication schemes.
Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?
#265Earlier quoted context omitted.
> what software are they going to want their new bosses to buy? In many cases, none because they'll just keep pirating yours. Even if the company has a "don't pirate, we want to pay for it" policy, some employees will still do it! That's something to keep in mind. For some, piracy has become the default way to get software. You need to make it easier to buy than to pirate. I believe taking small credit card payments…
Where I work, it would absurd to choose piracy over waiting a few months for approval - simply because of the risk to one’s career. Is this not the case elsewhere?
2 of the companies I have worked for were pirating software, a 100+ employees one and a Usually, the "main" users had a valid license, but there were cracks floating around for the people that used the software a couple times a year. We're talking a about stuff costing thousands here.
This was, if not approved, certainly turned a blind eye by management.
Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?
#266Earlier quoted context omitted.
Steam seems to have significantly reduced the market for pirated games. Streaming did that for movies for a while, until every single production company decided start their own.
The difference is that it is always possible to rip a movie but cracking games with server side computations could be practically impossible.
The games industry has moved to where even single player games are online enhanced experiences. As angry as that makes users here, gamers and corporations are quite happy with that arrangement which blocks piracy and makes games more fun.
Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?
#267you should promote it.
Payment should be for other benefits such as low friction, support, and community membership.
Technical people will always pirate software, use it to your benefit.
Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?
#268Earlier quoted context omitted.
There was a videogame that got famous because it was pirated, it was a management game about setting up a gaming company. Turns out, the pirated copy had a special feature where the player would feel immense economic pressure from piracy, so a bunch of players asked how to win against this, it was pretty hard and really fun for people who knew what was going on. Point is, you could hide an Easter Egg for pirated vers…
I love this approach. If you can detect a crack and block it, it will get worked around. Injecting easter eggs is much more subtle. There was another game that made an otherwise easy jump between two platforms impossible, so the players who had cracked the game went on forums and unwittingly revealed themselves by asking how to complete that level.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
https://bit-tech.net/news/gaming/pc/pirated-batman-pc-contai...
> "I've got a problem when it's time to use Batman's glide in the game," said user Cheshirec_The_Cat, whose appalling spelling we felt we needed to clean up. "When I hold [the button], like it says, to jump from one platform to another, Batman tries to open his wings again and again instead of gliding. So he falls down in the poison gas. Can somebody could tell me, what I should do there?"
Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?
#269Release a version that is also "cracked" and distribute it widely.
Make sure this version breaks after 10 days (so user doesn't suspect) and inserts garbage into whatever it produces after this time.
Ensure your accepted EULA states that if it isn't purchased you can do this of course.
When users also complain of a bug specific to this cracked version, in order to help, ask for their contact details, email and product registration details (in that order). Use provided details if necessary for legal enforcement of licence.
Re: Ask HN: We found a cracked version of our software on the web, now what?
#270i'd say innovate, improve, and make your product more robust so that the cracked versions pale in comparison to what the paid for versions have, then they turn into marketing pieces for the real thing.