Piracy and Point Of View

Piracy and Point Of View

Piracy and Point Of View

Let's get one thing out of the way 1st, before we jump into the topic at hand: software piracy is illegal and we don't condone it in any way, shape, or form. That being said, from a software developer's point of view it is not precisely the end of the world it is made out to be sometimes. There are a handful of different ways in which software purchases and software piracy interact, and from the point of view of the programmer not all of them are negative; in truth, in some cases a bit of software piracy can become very beneficial.The BadThe pirate can pay for the product but pirates it without purchase. Clearly, this is the easiest situation to condemn and may seem like the worst case scenario from a developer's point of view. This is a potential sale which has been lost entirely - the only factor keeping the company from selling the product and profiting is the moral decision on the part of the software pirate. The one possible good that may come of this is the pirate has been exposed to the item and develops a level of product awareness as a result that can lead to future sales after recommendations to friends and family.A software pirate cannot afford the product and doesn't pirate it or purchase it.This is actually a worst case scenario from a programmer's point of view, despite the fact that it's the system working as intended. There is literally no way to turn this around; not only is there no sale, a company imparts no product awareness.The Not-So-BadThe pirate cannot afford the product and pirates it without purchaseThis may appear less than optimal at 1st, but it is actually not as bad as it sounds. A programmer hasn't lost a purchase in this case since the item couldn't have been purchased in the first place. Instead, the software pirate uses the item, that builds product awareness, and he may recommend the item to people who do have a means to purchase it.The GoodThe pirate can pay for the product, pirates it, and decides to purchase itThis is the best-case scenario for a interaction of purchase and piracy, barring the simpler option of a customer purchasing the product outright without software piracy. Maybe a software pirate liked the item enough that he decided to purchase it outright, or perhaps certain aspects of the item require verification in some fashion, whether that be continued support or connectivity issues. In any case, this is the kind of software piracy that developers don't like to talk about since it actually ends up benefiting them in the end.SolutionsSo how does a developer get pirates to come around to the desired outcome of a product purchase? That's a tough question, and one with which many companies currently struggle. While we may not know exactly what a answer is, we certainly know what it is not: subjecting all customers to draconian measures as if all users were pirates. Requiring intrusive security measures or constant connection to an official support network are both solutions which have been tried and which engender resentment on the part of paying customers.One lesson in conversion comes from the release of a Arkham Asylum video game from Eidos Interactive. After a game's release, the Eidos forums began to flood with complaints about players not being able to use part of the jump function properly. The game could be played without using this function (albeit with some difficulty) up until the point when this glide jump became necessary to advance. A response from Eidos to these complaints was simple: only paid versions of the game allowed gliding. By making this key bit of code part of their verification process, Eidos ensured that pirates were able to experience a game and enjoy it and yet still have reason to purchase the item.I am a computer repair technician at Geek Choice. I love repairing a slow computer. I have many certifications, and have strived to keep educating myself throughout the years.

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