Hey hamoody,

I was dead serious.  If you think a law is being broken and feel it is your responsibility to do something about it going to a law enforcement agency is my advice.  He came to the forum for advice on what to do.  I doubt that he would be laughed at.  I think it very likely that following up on whatever advice he received would be more than what he was prepared to do.

Jim F.

No matter where you go or what you try to do, their will always be people who don't feel it is right to make you pay for something, and others who feel they should not have to pay for it.

 Torrents are just one way they get around buying.

 When my computer was stolen, I was lucky enough to get it back. Their were so many programs and viruses in the system. I have a 1T hard drive, and only had 97G's available. Now its back to where it was 774G's of available space.

 Once my system was restored to new condition, I was able to reload all my paid aircraft and sceneries.

 Its a sad thing because it makes it more difficult for the rest of us.

 

For those reasons, I never regret a purchase, even if I am left underwhelmed with the product - usually because I fail to research diligently.

 

 

 

I understand.....the pull of a new release is one of the greatest forces in the universe.....very difficult to wait for all the reviews to come in.

It's a sad world we are living in when stealing is viewed as OK, justifiable, and accepted as just the way things are.

 

It is a sad world, but tbh, you can add piracy to the collosal list of problems this world facing in the 21st century, and one could argue it being quite low on the list of human priorities.

No such system actually exists.

 

 

PMDG products are just as pirated as any others.

 

 

Because it doesn't actually stop piracy of their products.  It adds an expense that offers no return, and adds a complication that affects only their paying customers without impacting the pirates at all, because the "verification system" is removed from the pirated product.  You create a situation where the pirated product is not only cheaper (free), but also of higher quality (or, at least, easier to use) because it doesn't require the license check process.

 

It's not possible to effectively address a sociological problem with a technological solution.

 

 

 

After researching this issue further, it does appear that you are right - PMDG products (even the very latest) are indeed apparently being pirated on a mass scale just as other developers' products.   :mad:  I guess I've been living in a delusional dream world thinking technology had defeated online thieves?  :(  

 

Hasn't anyone reported the Piratebay place to their hosting ISP though???     Why don't we all ban together and force their ISP to suspend service to them?      There is no reason to let this situation continue unchecked!!!     I will see if I can figure out which ISP is hosting Piratebay.  

 

 

Hasn't anyone reported the Piratebay place to their hosting ISP though???     Why don't we all ban together and force their ISP to suspend service to them?      There is no reason to let this situation continue unchecked!!!     I will see if I can figure out which ISP is hosting Piratebay.  

 

I don't want to "rain on your parade", but I'm sure this has been attempted. In fact I believe two of the founders were arrested at one point. Not trying to dissuade you, but I think your idea will have VERY limited effectiveness.

 

On a separate note, I have reported pirating videos on YouTube. If I have to pay $90 for an addon, so should everyone else! (I doubt the effectiveness though, I'm not even sure they took the videos down...)

Here is my spin on software piracy:  Is it ethical to enjoy the benefit of one's effort for free, which the content creator made paying for that benefit a stipulation of its use?  And so what if you answer yes or no: how are you going to force feed your ethics down other peoples' throats?

 

Consider this:  You are at a movie theater and 1 minute after the start of the movie the theater is only 1/3 full.  Would it be OK for just anyone without a paid ticket to come in and fill those seats since they'd be empty anyways?

After researching this issue further, it does appear that you are right - PMDG products (even the very latest) are indeed apparently being pirated on a mass scale just as other developers' products.   :mad:  I guess I've been living in a delusional dream world thinking technology had defeated online thieves?  :(  

 

Hasn't anyone reported the Piratebay place to their hosting ISP though???     Why don't we all ban together and force their ISP to suspend service to them?      There is no reason to let this situation continue unchecked!!!     I will see if I can figure out which ISP is hosting Piratebay.  

PMDG is the top most pirated addons of the industry. It's one of the most popular between loyal customers, hence also very popular amongst piracy. I used to be a member of this one virtual airline which I won't name and a staff member actually gave regular updates about the cracking process as apparently almost all of the members of it pirate. But I'm pretty sure that staff member was joking as this would have severe repecursions.

 

Shutting down thepiratebay has had many attempts but has a strong opposition from the general population of sweden and countless protests have been made on the street. And as usual, I guess the crowd wins whether they have a brain or not. I doubt you'll find their ISP, and if you do don't be surprised if the server is located in latin america or some asian  third world country where the company won't give a damn about software piracy.

 

About piracy being one of the 21st centuries problem? It certainly isn't... An inconvenience and a slow down of the industry yes... But the other inmoral things humans do is way more important such as murder, rape, and war.

 

Consider this:  You at a movie theater and 1 minute before the start of the movie the theater is only 1/3 full.  Would it be OK for just anyone without a paid ticket to come in and fill those seats since they'd be empty anyways?

Your debate is closed. Where I live if a theater isn't full you can actually go in and enjoy the show/play without paying for entrance whether you believe it or not as it's usually funded by the government/city council. However, I can't say the same for cinema but hell, nobody goes to watch movies anymore.

 

Anyhow, even if your local theather is not government funded it cannot be compared to software piracy. The theather never actually lost a ticket if they let some people in (which might be why it's done here) and neither does the addon developer if some kid just decided to download it due to their parents not allowing them money. Or more commonly, local debit cards not accepted.

I was not implying any right or wrong behavior in my post: only that it's all a matter of personal perspective.  BTW, my opening statement was silly rubbish so I edited it out.

I think piracy can be avoided to some extent with good support given only to verified purchasers, such as HiFi (ASN).  I doubt pirates can enjoy SP1-SP1b of the 777 when we see each week pirates complaining that their gear won't retract.  Well, have fun with pirate software but fly with the gear down...

 

With products like ASN and PFPX that connect to servers, it must be quite easy to defeat pirates - no connection, software doesn't work.  With aircraft and scenery, maybe it's a bit tougher, but then again, if devs can cripple crucial features linked to activation (ie landing gear), it's probably quite effective.

 

While some of us remember Napster from the days where its legal status was very much debated, it's absolutely clear now that piracy is not only wrong but illegal.  I'm proud to own the software I have, which some is listed in my sig, and wouldn't want to use crippled, pirated versions with no support.

 

On the other hand, I think free demos are essential in this community - and too many devs do not use them.  I purchased some add-ons only because of free demos, like ASN and FSDT sceneries.  Aircraft, unfortunately, never have demos.  I purchased FSDT Vancouver, JFKv2 and GSX recently based exclusively on testing I could do with their demos and concluding my frames were good enough and the quality was great.  In those cases, no demo would have equaled no purchase.

 

Can we end this thread already.

It is a sad world, but tbh, you can add piracy to the collosal list of problems this world facing in the 21st century, and one could argue it being quite low on the list of human priorities.

Yep, right up there with world hunger, global warming, and the Ebola outbreak.

Its a lost cause. Don't even bother. No matter how noble your intentions, in reality, nobody cares.

Trying to stop piracy is like trying to kill a fly.

That's not quite accurate. I can and have killed many individual flies over my 65+ years. Now trying to kill all flies might be more apt.

So what you're saying is that virtually no-one has the right to accuse anyone of anything ever? Does that mean I can start downloading software to my hearts content? Because I can't think of anyone who has the right to judge me over it. But why stop there? I'd like a new car...

 

 

No it isn't. Piracy has been around for as long as there's been home computers. It didn't kill anyone 30 years ago and it won't kill anyone now. That's not saying it's good of course, just that it isn't as big a problem as some people want to make you think it is.

 

Hello Lowflyer,

 

sorry it might have been a misunderstanding. Of corse someone has to judge but not in this kind of way like "...hey teacher i know who cheated, do you wanna know!?" IMHO Mr 757Fanatic thinks he is a saint and never done something forbidden and he is a saint. I just dont like these kind of behaviour. Neither do i want to speak pirates free from what they did. Its pretty simple downloading pirated software is theft no matter what!!!!

 

There is something that just came into my mind. What if some of these pirates actually bought the software after they have stolen it in the first place. Are these folks still pirates or supporting customers??? Are these people still guilty of pirating. Shall these people get punished for what they did???  What would happen if Mr 757Fanatic reported them even if they become legal owner of the software???

 

These are just questions that i dont have an answer for it is just another point of view.