Welcome to the second edition of the GuardHQ newsletter!

It’s been a few weeks since the first edition: things have been VERY busy in GuardHQ Land, but finally I’ve managed to ignore the pressing workload I have long enough to write this next edition.

Something that has popped up recently on the Warrior Forum is the use of copy protection.

 

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Is copy protection the tool of the devil? 
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Melodramatic perhaps, but the title says it all: Too often copy protection is seen as the symbol of corporate greed. In other circles it is seen as a tool that unless used will spell the destruction of your online business.

The truth is somewhere in between. Let’s investigate.

 

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When copy protection attacks!
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Firstly we’ll look at the overuse or misuse of copy protection schemes.

These are often found with heavily encrypted ebooks, but can also be found in software applications. Often over-zealous copy protection in software is more a mark of the software programmer flexing his coding muscle rather than a true effort to curb the very real issue of software piracy, especially on small business.

Copy protection can be detrimental to your business when it’s use encumbers the day to day use of your product by your valid customers.

I was given an ebook a few years back by the ebook’s author. I never ended up reading it, simply because the copy protection was way too rough. To open the ebook I had to install some software, which then required me to download a special reader, which then forced me to download the latest updates, and I was then asked for verification each time I opened the ebook. This is a prime example of locking up a product so tight that a valid customer can’t use it without exploding into a string of expletives.

Turning your customers from mild-mannered clients into raving lunatics is bad for business.

 

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A world without copy protection
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The other end of the scale is to use no copy protection at all. This can be just as bad for business.

The internet is rife with thieves. Many of these thieves actually think they have a God-given right to steal other people’s work and sell it as their own. If I was to speculate, I would say that these people assume that since God didn’t see fit to bless them with a triple-figured (or even double-figured) IQ, they then instead believe they have perfect right to steal from people who ARE smart enough to tie their own shoelaces.

I once spoke to someone who thought he had a perfect right to sell my own software on his website and keep the profit.

This is where copy protection is needed: to protect your business assets from full-blown criminals.

With increased piracy, companies who produce digital products will need to increase their prices so as to keep the company viable.

 

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Balance!
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The recent thread on the Warrior Forum I spoke about labelled software vendors as “greedy” for wanting to protect their own products.

The truth of this world is that businesses need to make money.

If you’re just starting out in Internet Business, then just remember this: to survive you must make money.

This is a concept taken for granted in offline business, but is suddenly misunderstood by some people when it comes to online business.

An example: if I didn’t charge money for my products then how would I pay my rent? How would I buy my groceries? 
Obviously I couldn’t. I’d have to close my business and get a job.

I’m sure that most of us will agree that businesses (even online ones) must make money to survive.

This begs the question, does the pursuit of a company to ensure that users of its products pay for said product display as greed?

Of course not. If you sell a product you have every right to expect payment for it.

Then what if you use copy protection that cripples the general use of your product? While it’s a bad business move, it still doesn’t make you greedy.

 

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The solution?
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So as it turns out, copy protection ISN’T a tool of the devil. Keep in mind, however, that it CAN be used in such a way that damages your business rather than helping it.

Copy protection should NEVER encumber valid owners of your product. NEVER. 

A good copy protection technique is one which enables you to disable refunded or pirated copies of your product, but also one which does not affect the day to day use of your product by valid customers. 

I use a copy protection in my product DLGuard (www.dlguard.com) that asks a customer for their receipt number when they first login to DLGuard. This is minimal disruption for the customer while at the same time allows me to keep pirated copies of my software down, thus allowing me to keep the cost of my software down for end consumers.

This is a win-win for both my business and my clients. And THAT is what copy protection is about.

  
Here’s to your business success,

Sam Stephens
www.GuardHQ.com 
www.DLGuard.com

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 10th, 2007 at 11:31 pm and is filed under GHQ Newsletter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.