Thread: Piracy Protection: How To? (Ideas)

  1. #1
    Registered User zahid's Avatar
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    Piracy Protection: How To? (Ideas)

    How can my application protect it's copy right and also protect itself from piracy?

    Please cover Windows & Linux area for Desktop and Online application.

    *BIOS TIME checking..
    *Registering
    *OnlineServer for verification.
    *.........
    *.........
    *.........
    [ Never code before desk work ]
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  2. #2
    Skunkmeister Stoned_Coder's Avatar
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    To be honest I dont think you can. Even such schemes as windows xp product activation is easily crackable with time. In fact the crack for that appeared even before Windows xp went officially on sale.
    Free the weed!! Class B to class C is not good enough!!
    And the FAQ is here :- http://faq.cprogramming.com/cgi-bin/smartfaq.cgi

  3. #3
    Mayor of Awesometown Govtcheez's Avatar
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    > How can my application protect it's copy right and also protect itself from piracy?

    It's not possible. Anything made can be unmade.... However, if you do solve this problem, you'll be rich (just make sure you patent the software)

  4. #4
    Hamster without a wheel iain's Avatar
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    If the worlds largest software manafacturer make a highly secure brand new operating system and it gets cracked in 24 hours....

    the only thing you can do are registry mods, onlune registration before the product can work - but if its not a must app - people aint gonna do it
    Monday - what a way to spend a seventh of your life

  5. #5
    Barjor
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    Mastercam wich is a higher end cad cam system is using a hardware lock that plugs into the printerport, Supposed to be pretty complicated to get around. ProE wich is another high end cad system uses Proc ID numbers in combination with registration and security codes wich makes it almost impossible to crack. Basicly you mail them your procs ID and they generate a security code that only works with that specific version of software and Proc. But then again if there is enough money in it anything can get hacked.
    ~barjor

  6. #6
    Registered User zahid's Avatar
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    Good one but
    Hardware Lock is expensive and has a marketing problem.

    From all these posting.. best way is online verification.
    [ Never code before desk work ]
    -------------------------------------:-->
    A man who fears Nothing is the man who Loves Nothing
    If you Love Nothing, what joy is there in your life.
    =------------------------------------------------------= - I may be wrong.

  7. #7
    Registered User Coder's Avatar
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    It's not possible. Anything made can be unmade
    I believe that's quite true. From what I've seen, the best way to protect your software is to make it available at a suitable price! Few people would prefer to hack it if they can get it for a suitable price (Microsoft being a leading example)
    Muhammad Haggag

  8. #8
    Registered User VirtualAce's Avatar
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    Nah, even if the price was great there still would be someone out there hacking your code. Still don't know what's so cool about hacking into a game or burning a CD instead of buying it. All it does is make the prices of my games go up.

    There is no way to implement unbreakable copy protection. If there's a way to code it, there's a way to break it.

  9. #9
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    Adobe Acrobat made a big, yet ovious breakthrough. They hardly distributed any of the equipment you'd need to un-make pdf documents. I use Adobe all the time now to make my documents that i distibute bacause I know the only people who could potentially damage the document are going to be rich enough to a) hire a hitman and have some fun while they for some reason steal my poinless ideas b) brriiiiibbbe me. So either way, look at someform of not letting the user unmake the stuff.

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    One other thing I forgot. Windows has a lot of solutions that will at least slow the process of stealing your software down. I guess it's like screaming while you're getting mugged. Faced with resistance, most would just back off. You could make it a read only file, or try doing something similar with the actual code. But still, keep in mind that they could, without proper measures, unmake your program

  11. #11
    Registered User zahid's Avatar
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    I wish there is a way..

    Is it like pass word? Password, Registration Code, Key, all are almost breakable.

    Specially, we can talk about Userid and Password policy.

    Can we invent something which is breakable but need immense period of time?

    We can include (or bunch of) device ID(s) with the policy.
    When someone is asking for a product give him a ID collector application and include IDs with the registration policy.

    I guess it will help little more to reduce the rate of piracy.

    I'm not sure, may be it's an imature policy..

    Actually I think there must be a way..
    Last edited by zahid; 01-13-2002 at 01:49 AM.
    [ Never code before desk work ]
    -------------------------------------:-->
    A man who fears Nothing is the man who Loves Nothing
    If you Love Nothing, what joy is there in your life.
    =------------------------------------------------------= - I may be wrong.

  12. #12
    Registered User Coder's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Bubba
    Nah, even if the price was great there still would be someone out there hacking your code.
    Exactly, so why do you care about those who will steal it no matter what? Even if you give those people your program for free, they'd still hack it!

    Those you care about are those who would buy your program if they can (i.e the price is suitable). Those are the ones you're going to lose if you make your prices high.

    What difference does it make to you, for example - if you're a game publisher, when some people would steal your software at any prices you give them?
    They'll never buy it, even if you make the unbreakable software, they'll spend their lives trying to hack it rather than just buying from the local retailer in the very same street they live in!!
    Muhammad Haggag

  13. #13
    wierd guy bart's Avatar
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    1. make it totally useless

    2. dont publish it.

    these are the only ones i truly think poeple will not pirate, but i can't garantee either one (1: some poeple are mad, 2: so many hackers...)

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