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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?

#271

Post by deterministic »

Here is what you do:

When you are ready to release the next version of your software, you simultaneously release 50+ “cracked” versions of the software on as many pirate sites as you can find.

The trick is that the “cracked” versions of the software is actually just demo versions that will stop working after some time and prompt you to buy the real thing.

You also add comments to pirate sites on all really cracked versions of the software claiming that the cracked software erased your hard disk, that the software is trying to black mail you, that it was cracked by interpol to catch pirates etc. etc.

Of course using hundreds of different user names to hide the fact that it is really your company doing it.

And you of course reuse “real” pirate names and claim that those other users are fake and/or police traps.

And even better: use an AI to automate all of this. Make it really expensive and frustrating to try and get a cracked version of your code.

You are welcome.

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

#273

Post by noyoudumbdolt »

lll-o-lll wrote: post #214
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…

“But above all, make sure not to confuse a "pirated copy" with a "lost sale". In 99% of cases, the Venn diagram of those has very little overlapping area.” I’m seeing many comments saying this, but it’s simply not true for commercial/industrial software. Outside of the US, even in large swathes of Europe, it’s extremely common to lose significant revenue to piracy, and if you make it too hard to pirate they will pay.…

This pro-piracy nonsense is a point of faith for many nerds. They will twist themselves into pretzels to avoid the conclusion that piracy is costly and that enforcement of the law can be good.

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

#274

Post by mixmastamyk »

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.

How does that work?

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

#275

Post by yakireev »

SillyUsername wrote: post #269

Release 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 produc…

> Make sure this version breaks after 10 days (so user doesn't suspect) and inserts garbage into whatever it produces after this time.

"That software of yours? Yeah, I tried it once and it was garbage, couldn't even save its own output properly. Now you want me to buy it for... wait, how much?"

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

#276

Post by scarface74 »

fragmede wrote: post #218
fsloth wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

‘But above all, make sure not to confuse a "pirated copy" with a "lost sale". In 99% of cases, the Venn diagram of those has very little overlapping area.’ The non-overlapping are is likely non-trivial. There are surprising many shops that use professional software for client projects, could afford the license, but that prefer pirated copy to paying actual license fee. Ofc persecuting non-professional users is pointl…

A full actual version of SOLIDWORKS costs, no joke, $10,000 for a professional license ($8k plus $2k/yr support contract). An engineer at, say, Tesla is going to have that paid for by their employer while designing the Cybertruck. That Tesla engineer is also going to want to use SOLIDWORKS to design their bike shed. Their two choices for their bike shed are either use their work computer, or pirate it. (Using non-sol…

When I worked at GE, anyone could buy a copy of MS Office for $10 - full version not the subscription.

Why not bundle a separate license for individuals with the enterprise license.

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

#277

Post by bdcravens »

ROTMetro wrote: post #106
bdcravens wrote: post #57

Ignore it - you aren't "losing" money unless those customers would have paid you otherwise. Keep focusing on the features and service for those who do pay you.

We are not talking about video games. Business software that gives a company some edge, give the company using your pirated software a greater edge because they don't have the expense that the legitimate company paying for the software does. That is the value, and in this case you are very much 'rewarding' the theif and punishing the 'sucker' who pays you. Why would you do this?

This assumes it a company, and not a college kid or someone in a low income country (as OP suggested). If they had a Microsoft or Adobe budget, it'd be one thing, but most small companies usually have to make trade-offs, and if they had to pick, they should prioritize adding value over the fight for fairness.

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

#278

Post by toast0 »

addaon wrote: post #188
folli wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's actually really smart, I would have never thought of this. Why CJK text first?

Most scripts will mostly work if you support localization, but have only tested English. You'll most likely find issues with scripts needing compulsory ligatures (Devanagari) and CJK; so test them to make sure that someone trying to hack in an alternate localization doesn't run into a missing font, bad line breaking, unreadable text size, etc. [Edit: "first" meaning "before releasing", not meaning "before other scrip…

It'd be good to test with Right to Left languages as well. That's a big one that can mess things up in unexpected ways.

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

#279

Post by mikewarot »

comprev wrote: post #257
fragmede wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> First, people or companies using the cracked version of your software were never going to buy it. I've heard this before but I'm not convinced this is actually true. Why? Because I use Netflix instead of torrent sites, and just accept the limitations of that format. Programs are tools vs of entertainment, but I don't know that the human psychology actually changes. A neat trick they did was to introduce downloading…

You likely use Netflix because you can afford it. Would you still pick Netflix over torrents if it cost €100/month? When I was a young teenager I used to rip CDs from the local library (who could get almost any CD in a week if ordered). Now I spent a fair chunk of money on both digital and physical (vinyl) supporting artists - because I can afford it.

When I was a young programmer, I used to buy CDs based on the songs I found using Napster, it was glorious being able to freely discover so many new artists/songs based on everyone else's collections.

Then they (the record companies) started suing their customers, and I stopped buying CDs. I've been listening to the same set of songs ever since, or stuff on youtube.

Never again will I feed that monster.

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

#280

Post by [deleted] »

WASDx wrote: post #86
Fire-Dragon-DoL wrote: post #54

Earlier 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.

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