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Single Software Licence Shared 774,651 Times
nk497 writes "A single licence for Avast security software has been used by 774,651 people after it went viral on a file-sharing site. Avast noticed that a license for its paid-for security software, sold to a 14-user firm in Arizona, was being distributed online. Rather than shut down the piracy, the company decided to see how far the software would spread — it's since popped up in 200 countries, including the Vatican City. Now, the company is turning it into a marketing opportunity, with a pop-up encouraging users of the pirated copy to download a legal copy of the free or paid-for version. Avast isn't sure how many pirates have gone legal, but said some have made the switch."
Cue 4,000,000 slashdot posts how this proves, objectively, with 100% accuracy, that software piracy does zero economic harm and is actually beneficial to everyone involved.
“We found our licence code at a number of warez sites around the globe,” said Vince Steckler, chief executive of Avast Software. “There is a paradox in computer users looking for ‘free’ antivirus programs at locations with a known reputation for spreading malware.”
As it turns out, when asked, all 774,651 people were "just trying out to see how it was before they bought it."
And suing one of several people in the Vatican... lets just say that might be one time to expect the Spanish inquisition.
Last I checked the US State Department recognized something like 194 countries. So they appear to have coverage of 103% of the countries in the world!
Rounding error. This is what happens when you let arts majors use computers.
XML is a known as a key material required to create SMD: Software of Mass Destruction
Am I the only one that finds it slightly humorous that people were pirating a product called Avast! ... ? :)
The last thing I want to do, if caught pirating something inadvertently is to provide my identification.
Yeah, I hate it when I accidentally log into bit torrent and download software rather than paying for it. I mean, the keys are practically right next to each other.
Dear Friend!
I feel that i can thrust you. You seem a decent man, running a nice anti-virus software. As it turns out, the late owner of the company of the software you are using left me a fortune in licenses. However, i need a business partner.......
Hey Vatican, what part of Thou Shalt Not Steal did you misunderstand?!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
I don't care what kind of anti-viral plan you have, I will NOT let you thrust me.
There was a time when I found that the Microsoft keys were interchangeable among products. I was able to install Windows 95 using the license key from Microsoft Works, I think.
I would imagine this was because whether a number was divisible by 7 was not dependent on the application.
Overrated Moderation: This posts sucks... because.
The pirating of legally-free software never ceases to amuse me...
Just this morning, I googled for the name of a program I wrote. Among other places, I found it as part of a 45MB Mac disk image of cracked applications.
If you really want to pirate my software, then there's not much I can to do stop you. That's fine, I guess, but you'd probably be better off downloading it directly from Sourceforge.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?