validating "per use" licensing

[Richard Gaskin]

Dr. Hawkins wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 12, 2012 at 12:24 PM, Mark Wieder <mwieder at ahsoftware.net> wrote:
>>
>> Er... you expect that when I purchase your product I'm going to give you
>> my
>> social security number? I'll pass.
>
> No, when you file bankrutpcy, you must include the last 4 as part of
> the public record.

If the software is targeted at people who've filed bankruptcy that may 
work, except that if they've filed for bankruptcy they're probably not 
in a position to pay for software. ;)

A lot of services use last four of social as a key factor in 
authenticating over the phone.  In many cases that's the only element 
not easily found in public records.   Respectfully, any software vendor 
requiring that from me would lose a sale.

What is so unusual about the market you're addressing that you need such 
severe restrictions on license protection?

All software will always be stolen.  Big game companies spend literally 
millions on software security R&D, all with the hope of merely extending 
the time-to-crack by as much as 60 days.

Unless there's something very unusual about your market, chances are 
you'll make more money with a simpler system that appeals to the 
fundamentally-honest majority, just as nearly every successful software 
publisher has done.

Sure, you'll have stolen reg keys floating around.  Most apps do, often 
within three days of release.  But using those keys - that's a different 
story:  many keygens are tied to malware, including key loggers and 
such, so those stealing you reg codes do so at great risk.

Besides, someone motivated to steal software is unlikely to ever pay for 
software anyway, so I part ways with the SPA and other orgs who count 
every stolen copy as a lost sale.  BS.

Keep your eye on serving the paying customer, and risks from the 
relative few who steal will take care of themselves.

--
  Richard Gaskin
  Fourth World
  LiveCode training and consulting: http://www.fourthworld.com
  Webzine for LiveCode developers: http://www.LiveCodeJournal.com
  Follow me on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/FourthWorldSys