> Mike Miller wrote: > The thing I want to address is the notion that such distribution damages > the company that produces the software. That isn't clear. When a program > that usually costs $500, say, is being distributed for free on the > internet in violation of the license, many people will download the > program for free who would never have paid $500 for a properly-licensed > copy. So, a company that might have expected to sell 2,000 copies at $500 > apiece might find that 1,000,000 copies were freely downloaded on the web > against their wishes. But that means that 998,000 more people are using > their program than would have used it otherwise. Are they worse off? > Well that depends on how much they sell. It could hurt them, but it also > could help them. It depends. Mike I think you've answered your own question. The company in your example has lost $499 Million dollars!! That would definately hurt them. It would not help them. Maybe this is a better analogy: I managed broadcast companies for 20 years. If advertisers were able to somehow submit commercials to the station that aired for free - to *sneak* the ads into the station's computer as it were - there would be no financial benefit to the owners or the employees; no matter how much exposure the broadcaster received. If the paying customers then learned of this *free* option they would be much less likely to buy future ad campaigns exacerbating the stations financial problems. In fact the advertisers surreptitiously placing free ads are stealing air-time that can never be resold; lost revenue that can never be made up. It's the same with software. If people download a program or key code to use a program it is typically for a specific use or set of uses. Chances are that when that use is met, or continues to be met, the user will never pay for that software in the future. There would be no need. The software author(s), distributors, investors, etc., are all harmed. I just don't see how all that *exposure* can help in the least. Mark Ring ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get a free email address at http://www.ippimail.com and support your favorite charity without it costing you a penny. Email for the good guys!