Debra,
If its software you've written, some ideas:
If the degree of piracy is minor and you have little success in say locating
downloads on the internet then there is little else you can do other than
keep your ear to the ground and an open mind towards legal remedies if you
do manage to find who has copies.
If the s/w is extremely widely available, then capatilise on it! Consider
taking the view point that perhaps there is little you can do about it (or
take the legal viewpoint), but don't shrivel up and consider all is lost!
Look at it as free advertising and each person that uses your software long
term is becoming an adicted customer - shareware customer. Bring out a new
version with better licensing control as perhaps a new shareware version,
but make it a must have upgrade. When the pirates want to update then let
them, but after a while (in software) require them to get a software key by
purchasing one or the software stops doing something critical (use 2
approaches in code: 1 for legitimate trial users - friendly reminder, the
other where your install can detect they have the hot version - no reminders
until it is too late).
For an example of the latter, just look at Winzip, Adobe Acrobat, Winrar,
fprot antivirus. Many products are arm twisters and are sometimes free /
shareware with little challange to the consumer, but sooner or later
everyone will think seriously about getting a license - if they fear
copyright violation and have a shread of decency.
Best of software deployment - luck has nothing to do with it.
- Tim
