[...] 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.

 

I definetly agree on this point. A copy protection system must not, under any circumstances, be a hindrance for paying customers. Unfortunately, actually buying an item is often a disadvantage from the customer's point of view regarding usability - a popular example would be Blu-Rays, where you are bombarded with a dozen warnings, commercials, unwanted previews and whatnot - whereas a pirated version has none of these issues.

 

The good news is that, in the flight sim world, most publishers apparently have implemented their copy protection systems in a way that does not cause many problems. At least I've never had any issues with a copy protection system for any payware product.

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

+1

For the OP's question, in the US copyright is for the most part a federal concern.  It is not theft.  It is infringement of a monopoly for the distribution or public performance of copies granted to a publisher by the US government pursuant to USCONS I/8/8.  The law implementing copyright provides for civil and/or criminal penalty for infringement, depending on the circumstances of the alleged infringement.

 

In the US civil infringement proceedings are popular and there exists a class of law firms known colloquially as "copyright trolls"  whose business model is to collect IP addresses of sites hosting/seeding and often also downloading content via torrent protocol suspected to be covered by copyright.  These firms have attempted to use civil discovery process to force third parties (ISPs) to link IP addresses to names, so the firm can then send demand letters for payment in lieu of civil court proceedings.

 

So if you have an IP and a name you could go to the copyright holder and attempt to get permission to file suit in their name, but I would be careful about going that route as the question as to how you obtained the IP and name might be a problem for you.

 

scott s.

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Sorry I am late to this topic. Pirating is theft and we don't care how one might rationalize committing it; it is still theft. And, trying to rationalize that theft here is prohibited by our ToS'. Therefore, this topic is now closed. To the OP; good luck.