I have seen that the piracy controversy goes through it's ups and downs. We are coming out of the P2P issues and moving back to warez. Microsoft has sent out a internal memo that got sent to all it's past and present contract members and employees. I am assuming there is one somewhere deep in my own inbox, but a friend called me up with it. The jist of it is this:

" If there is any indication that a employee of Microsoft, or any of it's defined Workgroups, are using pirated software, or downloading warez, they shall be immediately investigated."

That is nothing new, is it?
Nooooooo...
But, look at the consequences. A couple of old friends from MS told me that they aren't truely investigating people, they are summilarily voiding their contracts and sending them packing. Microsoft, which estimated that it lost a 'Significant amount" in sales due to piracy, * Can't find a solid answer---sometime reported 450 Million*, have cracked the whip.

Take Windows XP. Surely, most of you out there that pirate have heard that the Non-activation crack will no longer work with the installing of SP2 * Still in RC stage*. This means that, if you have a invalid Product Code, you will not be able to visit Microsoft Windows Update to download some of the very needed Critical Updates. * Like the Update to stop RPC issues through Agobot 32*

But, if you set automatic updates to be downloaded automatically, you getthem without the Update Computer checking the validity of the Product Key. Microsoft has apparently addressed this issue. Most of the important crits will be included in SP2 and it actually looks good. Microsoft has taken it's time with this one.

So, this is all in the name to stop piracy? It's interesting that, as a technician, I have been given free, new product keys from Microsoft by asking for them, when working on computers that have been pirated. Their stance on piracy is funny and flexible.

So, Microsoft is not the only big company to do this. Many of you that have had faith with the Symantec offering of Norton's Antivirus might have been disappointed with the latest offering: Norton's Antivirus 2004. Not only has Symantec popped up and joined the ranks of the Product Activation Movement, it screwed up it's award-winning program, part due to the inclusion of code changes brought on by Product Activation.

On the first week of release, the Symantec lines were busy, busy, busy with calls of non-valid product keys, major software glitches, and critical errors occuring in both Windows 98 and Windows XP platforms. The earlier version, NAV 2003, was flawless for the most part, and could be re-installed over and over again. Like Windows XP, 2004 only allows us to install a limited number of times under the current product keys. Extra keys are available for a set price.

So, how much do these companies really lose? If the war on piracy has taught me anything, these measures are only pushing people to upload and crack these programs more. If man can make it, man can break it. The movie industry has been spending money on PSA to stop piracy, yet the best quality of movies are from DVD screeners that they release themselves to thousands of video shops around the nation.

And who doesn't want to get the latest and greatest videogames for free, instead of shelling out tons of money on a game they might not like? Some game companies are making it clear that they don't want this to happen. They have gone to lengths in the past to write errors in the discs so that you can't copy CD. That didn't last long. Hell, if you want a copy of the newest Tom Clancy game, push through the porn banners and download it. The actual losses from the gaming industry have, apparently, been lack of sales. That combined with people put it out there on the net, well, that spells trouble.

Console game have almost dropped the copywriting issue. They seemed to be ok with that also.

DVD rippers have been banned from the USA due to copywrite law. The case of DVD XCOPY is the prime example. They included a flawless *near* DVD ripper for copying DVDS, under the statue law of " Owning one, legal, archival copy" of media. While it was a small blow to the makers of DVD XCOPY 321 Studios, they complied with the ruling and pulled the ripping tool. Now, there seems to be a new copy write protection on 2004 DVDs that makes previous, ripper copies of XCOPY faulter. Not one new movie past Pirates of the Carribean * that one included* seemed to be able to be copied.

So, is this where it stands? That every few months the repective companies will change their copywrite procedure to block pirates? Is the loss that much to them?

According to Linux News: Software Companies lost more money in the Europe sectors than in any other region last year. The reported loss is $25 million worldwide. http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/35029.html
So, if this is the case, where is the big numbers from Sun Micro and Microsoft coming from?

Smartkey had this table to add to the confusion: http://www.smartkey.eutron.com/ENG/smartkey_overview_stime.asp

Whether that is independant gathered, or from the companies themselves, it doesn't really say. Apparently the USA says that only 35% of all the software out there is pirated, buy lost $2,876,000,000. Is that right? The numbers seem a little skewered.

later on, it gives you a breakdown from independant Software companies from the Software Publisher's Asscociation survey. It claims that that Latin America has over 361 Billion in pirated software, but that is nothing compared to the 1.1 billion in the US.

Piracy seems to be biting into the profits, doesn't it? At least, from the prospective of the information given above. But, what does that mean to the individual companies? Nothing. These are abiguitous numbers at best, with not real, hard information.

What is the total loss? The company might take a hit in sales, but does that dent the bottom line? Maybe to the smaller guys, the ones that aren't really trying to stop it from happening. The billion + a year companies seem to be more revved up for this grab. I guess we'll just have to see what really will happen.

* This article doesn't cover that RIAA, that is a huge deal in itself, or the Movie Industry. Look for future articles*"