Industry Response

Aware of the potential loss of profit, software developers quickly began to devise more and more innovative methods for controlling the use of their product. Examples of these efforts are �dongles,� pieces of hardware that must be physically attached to the computer in order for the software to work. Another method for ensuring that consumers operate only within their license is the use of encryption on the distributed media. This means that only a portion of the media is readable by standard means, making less effective any efforts at duplicating or modifying the software (Jonsson, par. 8). A third and possibly the most widely used method is the assigning of a �Key� to each copy of the software that is sold. This key could be entered by the user upon installation one time, and then checked to see if it is valid. The key could either be validated against an encrypted list of valid keys stored on each copy of the installation medium, or passed to a program who performs a decryption algorithm on the inputted key and compares that with a known list of valid outputs. Both of the above installation key methods could be used, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Another method that allows for greater security at the expense of ease of use is the input of a password by the user each time the software is executed. This method is not used nearly as frequently as the installation key method because it could hinder the usability of the product, and therefore may deter sales, potentially causing a larger loss in profit than the gain in income gained by the slight increase in privacy protection. A more complex and innovative method involves testing the system the software is installed upon to determine weather or not the program has been transported to another system (Methods of Protecting Software, par. 2). This method, although affording a greatly increased amount of security, the logistics of implementing such a method are cumbersome. Not only is it a complex method to program, this method could hinder the legitimate use of the software by the consumer. An example of this would be when a user purchases a new computer and wish to transport their legitimate copy of their software to the new one- but be denied by the anti-piracy algorithm. This problem may deter potential customers, and is commonly only used in a scenario where it would remain profitable. It has become apparent that copyright protection is only feasible when it effectively balances protection and ease of use, and software developers will continue to strive to create methods that meet these criteria, and attempt to stay one step ahead of potential thieves.