Thread: New CD yet Bill?

Honor system, good people and niche markets with honest customers aside:

U.S. Law provides 'fair use' copy privileges to a buyer. Thus programmers and distributors of copy protection breaking software aren't in jail. Each buyer has the legal right to make a copy of the original for backup, regardless of 'copyright protection' efforts.

CD/DVD copies are now being reported to only last 5 to 8 years, versus the 100 years originally expected. That's IF you DON'T scratch it up. I don't know about you guys but I breath near a CD and it's scratched. I Love MAAS. I've salvaged many expensive CD's with it and made my back ups so I can have a clean copy.

I'm not sure about the skill level of Bill's customer base (including the srp gang) but you don't have to be a genius to run the commercially, legally available software packages out there. Heck, I can even get software that will duplicate physical errors on a disk (another form of copy protection).

Decent disk/file protection software/hardware costs mucho dinero. Is this worth several hundred to several thousand dollars to protect a 25 to 35 buck disk or file that may or may not immediately pay for the 'copyright protection' investment?

Bill, if you choose to pursue copy prevention you'll have to do your homework and realize that there's always going to be a way around them. Most schemes only reduce the number of people who break them, and very few reduce the number of copies that get distributed because once it's copied that copy is no longer protected.

Bill,

I am a great fan of your CD. I was very happy receiving the envelope with the CD. The envelope has its special place, because I am very proud to have your "autogram".

In the meantime I have restored many old straights. Ten of them are in daily use.

So I am looking forward to your new one and hope it will come soon ...

Arnd

Many thanks for all of the suggestions. I am impressed, and I have learned from you. I know I will be contacting a few of you for further opinions and for the possible directions that I can take.

I know I wouldn't be able to stop anyone from making "illegal" copies, but I am hoping to make it a little harder for those who won't do for themselves because it is easier to leech from others.

I guess you could say that all I am interested in is locking the car doors and installing an alarm to prevent easy theft of the stereo system.

I think this is a very good strategy for your CD.

I work in an editors firm and we publish many CD's. Since we sell them to the government we do not protect the content in any way ...

In october we will launch three CD for law-students. Since they copy erveryone and everything we decided to protect the content on a "normal " level with an unexpensive software. This is a clear signal for everyone that the stuff is protected and not everyone can manage to "get in". It is very near to your "car example".

Arguments abound, I'm sure. People pay for the CD because they want to see the money in your hands Bill. Copy protection only has to be broken once, then by the nature of digital information, it is copyable forever. Even Starforce (which is wicked nasty invasive. Worse than some Trojans) has workarounds.

Also, the argument exists that people who were going to steal it were never going to give you any money anyway. Despite what the record companys say, CD sales have not gone down. People still buy copies of Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein", even though it has been out of copyright for years.

Also, I run Linux, and many people run Mac OS. If whatever system of copy protection you use doesn't work for them, then they won't buy your CD. As much as I aspire to owning one of your razors one day, and as much as I'd like to see your skill and contribution to the community encouraged (in a real financial way), you can bet that if the CD doesn't run on my box, I'll be upset.

At the end of the day, copy protection doesn't stop anyone determined. The most invasive copy protections (which are the most effective) tend to only punish paying customers.

Electronic distribution is a valuable service (especially for those of us in Australia who are getting sick of paying so much for postage), and it is cheap and easy for you. Copy protection is a big, fat hassle and IMNSHO, not worth the effort.

Sorry for being a bit passionate, but it is something I feel very strongly about.

Also, Bill, you might consider an "upgrade" option. People can buy your CD now, for the full price, and upgrade for only $5 or some discounted price later. Since you have a list of your customers, it will be easy to work out who bought after the offer was made. This way you get paid and they get their new disks too. Everyone wins.

You can bet I'll be getting your disk (or hopefully file, damn postage!) as soon as I can. I'm a fan of your work and would enjoy the opportunity to learn the things you so willingly share.

Yours,

Daniel.

Well, I'll be buying the disk too if he ever gets it finished .

I've been holding off on several razor restorations because he told me to hold off on his CD til it was updated .

But I agree with you. Whatever copy protection used needs to be crossplatform friendly as I'm a Linux man myself, and also non-invasive

Glen F

Put me down for one
Regards Peter