Skin encryption survey

[smackLAN]

Burn skin to cd and mail it to them. Increase your price by a few dollars to cover delivery.

Would discourage chargeback and you get a lot more protection because you send a physical product.

I've given that a great deal of consideration Scott! But as I'm sure you here at Jelsoft know, this is a instant gratification world and people just don't want to wait...they'll just go somewhere where they can download it immediately.

[Scott MacVicar]

If you dont want to mail a CD mail a bit of paper with details to a login members area.

Our piracy is not that high due to strict screening thats the only solution you can do other than a physical product.

[ccModsUK]

If you dont want to mail a CD mail a bit of paper with details to a login members area.

Our piracy is not that high due to strict screening thats the only solution you can do other than a physical product.

Surely mailing a bit of paper is the same as mailing a CD... Just that when the user get's the bit of paper; they also get a glazed look as they wonder what that's all about...

I don't want to comment on your second sentence; but feel I have to seeing as it was brought up... vBulletin has; unfortunately become a rather famous target on the Nullified circuit thanks to it's functions and market position. Multiply your known piracies by a good few ten's and you'll see that it's not a few $1000 dollar's lost in potentials; but a hell of a lot more (But you probably knew that and just wanted to save face )... Every software developer suffer's with it and anti-piracy agencies can only do so much... Cease and desist order's under the millenium copyright act are "interesting" to say the least... I even had a pirater come on my forums and ask me to tell the agency to stop annoying them... Because they was well hidden from public servers; I simply looked a fool... As for UK law which I'm goverened by... Well... It's pretty much non-existant; you try and prosecute and you'll see a bill bigger than that of the compensation awarded and if you get lucky... You might even be able to get a court order to get the perpitrator to even cough up the cash... But it normally falls on death ears.

[DirectPixel]

(In reply to the original post about mailing out CD's)

Also grants you frederal protection when it comes to fraud, and escalates any form of fraud automatically to felony levels. In addition, will allow you to sue for damages (and not just an injunction or declaration) in court.

Redistributing to friends and family isn't the problem. I know few who run forums, and even fewer who would accept a stolen skin CD.

[Scott MacVicar]

Surely mailing a bit of paper is the same as mailing a CD... Just that when the user get's the bit of paper; they also get a glazed look as they wonder what that's all about...

I don't want to comment on your second sentence; but feel I have to seeing as it was brought up... vBulletin has; unfortunately become a rather famous target on the Nullified circuit thanks to it's functions and market position. Multiply your known piracies by a good few ten's and you'll see that it's not a few $1000 dollar's lost in potentials; but a hell of a lot more (But you probably knew that and just wanted to save face )... Every software developer suffer's with it and anti-piracy agencies can only do so much... Cease and desist order's under the millenium copyright act are "interesting" to say the least... I even had a pirater come on my forums and ask me to tell the agency to stop annoying them... Because they was well hidden from public servers; I simply looked a fool... As for UK law which I'm goverened by... Well... It's pretty much non-existant; you try and prosecute and you'll see a bill bigger than that of the compensation awarded and if you get lucky... You might even be able to get a court order to get the perpitrator to even cough up the cash... But it normally falls on death ears.

The files might be out there but few are stupid enough to install it on public sites, as soon as that happens it takes a week or two and they'll appear on our anti piracy list and Howard quickly deals with that. Unless they're stupid and come here asking for support..

I guess the size of your operation is also a factor, can you afford to have someone as your copyright agent and deal with all the piracy for you.

[ccModsUK]

I admit; you take up the services of an anti-piracy group and you stand a much better chance of taking control; but there is a limit... Wouldn't it be nice to know where you copies are going... Why not take the bull by the horns and "stop" every single copy of your software hitting the underground sites and then; use the anti-piracy group for what they are for... For killing off the piracy that you can't stop internally... I'm not saying that you outlaw anti-piracy groups - I'm saying make them work for their cash.

And if there is a solution provided to the marketplace; would you see it as a "tool" or a hinderence.... Would the skin buyers and developers be interested... That is the question... Nothing else.

[klisis]

I remember purchasing an encrypted php script from Hot scripts one day.
I didn't know what it was at first and realized what it really was like. I had to send a support e-mail just to change few text. Took me days to receive a reply and then another set of days to either get a refusal or get modified files.

In the end, I gave up and never looked back at their "encrpyed" products.

Of course, I was talking about scripts and you are talking about skins. But, since that horrible experience, I never looked back any scripts that were encrypted.

I am not a coder by any means. I just have years of experience without any proper script knowledge. I often find needs to modify code of scripts I've purchased.
And, due to nature of internet, no matter what you do, it IS going to get pirated. You could reduce the rate in exchange of possible sales.
But if just one person rips your script or skin and spread it on net, it's all over.

In the end, it all comes down to people who use your product. Are they decent enough to pay for what they get? or not ?