Here's a crazy thought
http://discuss.joelonsoftware.com/default.asp?joel.3.430105.131Corel should sue people who use Photoshop without paying.
Huh?
Think about it. Graphics professionals pay for Photoshop. Lots more people do some graphics, but not enough to be worth $650. But many of those people possibly would agree that their use is worth $80.
So there are probably people using cracked copies of Photoshop who, if they didn't have the crack, would instead have bought Paint Shop Pro.
It seems reasonable that if we're going to report losses to "piracy" in terms of lost sales, we should be counting the potential sales that are really lost.
1 comment:
You're right on target here. Many companies that produce professional-caliber software are widely pirated by casual users that would never pay the high prices demanded for such programs. (Photoshop, Final Cut, Pro Tools, etc.)
Meanwhile the actual professionals ARE paying $$$, and the students & civilians are using pirated copies instead of other companies' consumer-level applications. This means that all new professionals entering the business (and looking for enterprise software) are already familiar with the "industry standard" through piracy.
End result? Widespread casual piracy allows the app manufacturer to remain the dominant player in a lucrative professional market.
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