Copy Protection Goes On The Offensive

from the why,-you-don't-need-that-any-more... dept

It’s no surprise that developers of copy protection tools are trying to improve them beyond the weak, easily defeated offerings they are today. However, it sounds like some are starting to go a bit too far. Beyond just trying to stop copying, they’re scanning your system for other programs, telling you to disable certain copying programs and then proactively uninstalling certain components of those programs. After first denying this was true, the company later said it was just a bug, but many people doubt this. It’s likely, unfortunately, that this is just the beginning. Copy protection software seems to be getting ever more proactive, often doing damage where none should ever be done.


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Comments on “Copy Protection Goes On The Offensive”

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4 Comments
Oliver Wendell Jones (profile) says:

I can understand...

I can understand why a company doesn’t want their software running on a PC that contains software that *might* be used to pirate their precious program, but…

I do not agree that they have the right to insist that the software be removed or, worse yet, damage the software in some way. That’s not just wrong, that’s criminal.

thecaptain says:

Re: I can understand...

They can always refuse to install AND offer you a refund should you decide NOT to disable what they ask (if they don’t offer a refund, then they don’t have the right to refuse to install imho). I think that’s reasonable.

However I agree, they do NOT have the right to uninstall third party software from my machine without my knowledge AND consent. That’s damage and akin to crackers and virus writers.

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