> Okay, I am going to probably date myself and propagate some
> unsubstantiated bits, but I love a good story. Equilibriation,
> or so I heard in the late 80's, incorporates the piracy costs.
> This basically meant in both the software and music industry
> that their prices included the fact that the material on it
> most likely would be copied and used illegaly several times
> over the official and legal purchase.
Well on that front. Here is a little story. Today the best and one of the
oldest Mac pirate boards closed down. I say the best not for the quality of
goods, but also the users. I could get an answer from that board better
than from ANY support line anywhere. Employee's of Apple, Adobe,
Macromedia, Disney you name it were on the board. Probably 80% of the
people working in special effects started out on a Mac and of those 90%
were on this board at one time or the other. The board first opened as a
Apple ][ board 12 years ago.
I don't believe other than a few circumstances (That being Ms Office and
Games) that Piracy hurts companies.
Piracy consists of three types of users.
1) Warez kids that just want to brag to their friends they have the latest.
They D/L anything and everything. No sales lost here.
2) People that generally use the software to make money. These people
usually wind up buying the software. Sale made here.
3) Recreational users. Again people that download warez and play around
with it. Not much chance of these people coughing up $600 for PhotoShop. So
unless the software is less than about $50 no sales lost here.
The reason for the closing? Our wonderful Federal Gov new law. Faced with
$250,000 fine for this, the sysop pulled the plug.
Tim