Do you report people who pirate material/software?

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
58,562
8,840
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Disgruntled employees is where it happens. The sites help people get revenge, but I don't think it's a significant increase. They've been around for years.

Edit:
I should send a bunch of reports of GPL violations; dicks... :^D
 
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Matthiasa

Diamond Member
May 4, 2009
5,755
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If I did someone I knew would probable have like a several billion dollar fine against them. :eek:
 

KMFJD

Lifer
Aug 11, 2005
31,040
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tumblr_m0qknic83h1r9l4xko1_500.png
 

RedString

Senior member
Feb 24, 2011
299
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Yea I think its mostly pissy employees doing it.

Funny story,my teacher heard about a high school auto CAD teacher who called support for tech support on program. They asked for few numbers, said we'll get back to you. Few days later two guys in suits show up at door, all comps in class were pirated copies. Hit the guy for about 100k a pop.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
71,360
30,935
136
Yea I think its mostly pissy employees doing it.

Funny story,my teacher heard about a high school auto CAD teacher who called support for tech support on program. They asked for few numbers, said we'll get back to you. Few days later two guys in suits show up at door, all comps in class were pirated copies. Hit the guy for about 100k a pop.

AutoDesk is pretty aggressive on enforcement. I went to grad school with a guy whose former employer got a visit from AutoDesk. They had to cut a check for 13 AutoCad licenses on the spot. He said the AutoDesk people were very polite about it, "Give us our money and nothing bad happens. Thank you, here's a stack of manuals, glad to have you as customers. Have a nice day."
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
58,562
8,840
126
AutoDesk is pretty aggressive on enforcement. I went to grad school with a guy whose former employer got a visit from AutoDesk. They had to cut a check for 13 AutoCad licenses on the spot. He said the AutoDesk people were very polite about it, "Give us our money and nothing bad happens. Thank you, here's a stack of manuals, glad to have you as customers. Have a nice day."

If I was younger, and still gave a shit, I'd try to make some COGO software. There's nothing out there that works on GNU/Linux, and most of the commercial products suck. They use proprietary software, proprietary hardware, and they look like they were made by somebody paid to make it, not someone who knows what they're doing. If I did it, it would be GPLd, and my customers wouldn't have to worry about knocks on the door...
 

Wyndru

Diamond Member
Apr 9, 2009
7,318
4
76
AutoDesk is pretty aggressive on enforcement. I went to grad school with a guy whose former employer got a visit from AutoDesk. They had to cut a check for 13 AutoCad licenses on the spot. He said the AutoDesk people were very polite about it, "Give us our money and nothing bad happens. Thank you, here's a stack of manuals, glad to have you as customers. Have a nice day."

Yup. Luckily, with our autodesk software, I get an email every time a license is used, so I basically know when someone is installing something they shouldn't be. And when we get the next year's software, the licenses for the previous year automatically disable.

One of the pains to this is if we have a computer that crashes without de-activating we need to contact the company to have them issue a new registration code, although for the last 2 years this has been more lenient, and it just auto registers.
 

rudder

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
19,441
86
91
Yea I think its mostly pissy employees doing it.

Funny story,my teacher heard about a high school auto CAD teacher who called support for tech support on program. They asked for few numbers, said we'll get back to you. Few days later two guys in suits show up at door, all comps in class were pirated copies. Hit the guy for about 100k a pop.

Either the teacher was an idiot for calling tech support on pirated programs... or he was an idiot for buying autocad on ebay for $10 each thinking they were legit..
 

KMFJD

Lifer
Aug 11, 2005
31,040
47,821
136
Either the teacher was an idiot for calling tech support on pirated programs... or he was an idiot for buying autocad on ebay for $10 each thinking they were legit..

Or maybe he wasn't aware that they where pirated?
 

RedString

Senior member
Feb 24, 2011
299
0
0
Either the teacher was an idiot for calling tech support on pirated programs... or he was an idiot for buying autocad on ebay for $10 each thinking they were legit..

Yeah, I'm pretty sure he didn't know. I assume some IT guy at the school informed some higher-ups who had no knowledge about computers that he could save the school a ton of money so ofc they probably thought that was great and didn't ask any questions. Well, we know how that worked out.
 
Apr 12, 2010
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Not very many computer shops would be in business in the area, if not for all the bootleg software. Something that is always lingering over our head.
When we grow & ink a deal with a bigger company, we're planning to resolve this issue with the licenses getting paid off in full.
A lot of people don't want to go for our minimum price of reformatting as it is. Add at least another $100 & nobody would bring in computers for reformats.
 

dougp

Diamond Member
May 3, 2002
7,909
4
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Not very many computer shops would be in business in the area, if not for all the bootleg software. Something that is always lingering over our head.
When we grow & ink a deal with a bigger company, we're planning to resolve this issue with the licenses getting paid off in full.
A lot of people don't want to go for our minimum price of reformatting as it is. Add at least another $100 & nobody would bring in computers for reformats.

So you sell the OS license illegally? If you're formatting a machine, you should use the license key that comes with it. If you're installing Win7 after formatting an XP partition, and you don't have a legal license - that's a lot more than fines dude. Also, MS has a partnership that's geared towards companies like that - it wouldn't be $100. Try researching options before using software illegally.
 

Nvidiaguy07

Platinum Member
Feb 22, 2008
2,846
4
81
So you sell the OS license illegally? If you're formatting a machine, you should use the license key that comes with it. If you're installing Win7 after formatting an XP partition, and you don't have a legal license - that's a lot more than fines dude. Also, MS has a partnership that's geared towards companies like that - it wouldn't be $100. Try researching options before using software illegally.

maybe hes referring to putting office and stuff like that on peoples computer? Usually the way the OEM sells it is with a trial version of word, excel, etc.

This is where i try to steer most people towards google docs or libre/open office.
 

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
47,351
14
61
I've been put in this position by customers and I'm torn.

At least once a month a customer will complain about slow download speeds and they will say they are torrenting movies. They make it sound like no big deal. It puts me in a spot and my company in a spot. We can't condone illegal activity but we also can't monitor your use.

This may be an option...
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
58,562
8,840
126
I've been put in this position by customers and I'm torn.

At least once a month a customer will complain about slow download speeds and they will say they are torrenting movies. They make it sound like no big deal. It puts me in a spot and my company in a spot. We can't condone illegal activity but we also can't monitor your use.

This may be an option...

There's nothing wrong with torrenting movies, it depends on the specific license. You can help them with the technical aspects, while staying morally/legally clear.
 

dougp

Diamond Member
May 3, 2002
7,909
4
0
maybe hes referring to putting office and stuff like that on peoples computer? Usually the way the OEM sells it is with a trial version of word, excel, etc.

This is where i try to steer most people towards google docs or libre/open office.

Formatting someone's machine and reinstalling is NOT OEM though. There are specific programs out there for resellers to reduce your cost so you can profit.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
58,562
8,840
126
not that easy. As of right now, we turn a blind eye. Its don't ask, don't tell and if told, ignore. But later in the year....

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ISP-Six-Strikes-Plan-Arrives-in-July-118834

As I understand it, that will work more or less as it always has. A rights holder complains about someone under your ip block, and you send that person a nastygram. The nastygrams get nastier as complaints accrue. You aren't under obligation to do any policing other than forwarding complaints by others, and following a prescribed method of dealing with them.
 

airdata

Diamond Member
Jul 11, 2010
4,987
0
0
AutoCAD is a bunch of assholes who believe that reselling an unused copy of AutoCAD is piracy. Screw those pricks.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...uling-a-messy-win-for-first-sale-doctrine.ars

Agreed. I got an email from microsoft for selling dell disk sets on ebay. They claimed it was piracy to resell an oem dell disk even when it was described properly and what not.

If that really is piracy and wrong, then the entire for sale/trade section on this forum would be screwed because using that logic it'd be illegal to sell anything 2nd hand.
 

rudeguy

Lifer
Dec 27, 2001
47,351
14
61
As I understand it, that will work more or less as it always has. A rights holder complains about someone under your ip block, and you send that person a nastygram. The nastygrams get nastier as complaints accrue. You aren't under obligation to do any policing other than forwarding complaints by others, and following a prescribed method of dealing with them.

Dunno.

My company has said nothing to me about it. I only know because I'm a nerd. I do know that we have a special team that handles DMCA violations. I'd imagine that team will grow very large, very soon.
 

dougp

Diamond Member
May 3, 2002
7,909
4
0
Agreed. I got an email from microsoft for selling dell disk sets on ebay. They claimed it was piracy to resell an oem dell disk even when it was described properly and what not.

If that really is piracy and wrong, then the entire for sale/trade section on this forum would be screwed because using that logic it'd be illegal to sell anything 2nd hand.

Have you read the licenses? Sounds like you haven't, because their claims are true - they know this especially because they wrote them.

Just because you don't understand the rules doesn't mean they're stupid. You want to discuss the FS/T forums, they actually have a rule related to OEM software - http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2480

If you purchased the Dell disk sets without software, they were sold to you illegally. If you're selling them without the hardware they came with (PCs or laptops) then you're violating their licensing and you're subject to fines.