£1000 reward for anti-piracy tips (old magazine ad)

[Raid27]

In this 1990 comic-strip anti-piracy ad the "Federation Against Software Theft", organised by the "European Leisure Software Publishing Association" is offering a £1000 pound reward "for information leading to a prosecution and conviction" of pirate activities.

I knew piracy was a real problem even back then but I had no idea they put out bounties!

[Gorf]

Is that for real?
that is soooo low!

But they got one thing right: the rat doesn't like math ... probably to stupid for. And the math-geeks were the ones with computers.

[Raid27]

Yeah its real all right.

Found it in the magazine "Commodore Disk User", issue 20, 1990 speaking of which.

[redblade]

He'll most probably spend that money on MDMA

[rare_j]

Yes there were several different strips along the same theme, as a child I didn't like them but to adult eyes they look even creepier. The echoes of fachism, appealing to children to turn in adults they don't like, are particularly distasteful.

[Raid27]

If they made more strips then I might be able to dig them up too just for the excercise.

[Juz400]

That is quite creepy, probably explains why there were so many better demo coders
in Europe than the UK, all our maths teachers got grassed up and busted for piracy.

I remember seeing a parody at the Share and Enjoy party held in a church hall 1990
Anthrox perhaps? Was quite funny at the time!

[BarryB]

I remember seeing a similar ad, or maybe the same one, in mags I used to read. That ad was just targeting 'casual' copying and not organised crime, dangling the cash carrot was just bribing people into being super grasses!

Found a link to more of them: https://torrentfreak.com/piracy-is-t...he-90s-170114/

[Thorham]

Originally Posted by Gorf

the rat doesn't like math

You're not a rat for reporting theft

[Gorf]

Originally Posted by Thorham

You're not a rat for reporting theft

It is only a theft, if you steal something.
If you steal something the stolen item is gone.
If you copy something, nothing is gone.
It is therefore not stealing.
It is not a theft.

[BarryB]

It's Copyright Theft, you're copying someone else's work without their permission!

[Marcuz]

Originally Posted by Gorf

It is only a theft, if you steal something.
If you steal something the stolen item is gone.
If you copy something, nothing is gone.
It is therefore not stealing.
It is not a theft.

one could argue that what is gone is the intended potential of a gain from one intended potential customer, who got the goods for free... still theft, and fitting your reasoning frame.

[Gorf]

Originally Posted by BarryB

It's Copyright Theft, you're copying someone else's work without their permission!

So it is an illigal copy.
Still no theft.
Theft, roppery, stealing - all words to incriminate a reproduction.

[Gorf]

Originally Posted by Marcuz

one could argue that what is gone is the intended potential of a gain from one intended potential customer, who got the goods for free... still theft, and fitting your reasoning frame.

No, since the mentioned kids would not have been custumers. Without the teacher they would not have even known about software and they would not have the money to buy it...

And again: stealing is to take away. You can not take away, what was never there in the first place.

[DamienD]

Give it up Gorf, stop derailing the thread with silly arguments as to why copying something is not "theft". It is still illegal, let's leave it as that...

Back on topic please, I won't say it again.

[Gorf]

Originally Posted by DamienD

Give it up Gorf, stop derailing the thread with silly arguments as to why copying something is not "theft". It is still illegal, let's leave it as that...

Back on topic please, I won't say it again.

yes, you are right:it is still illegal. Did not say otherwise.

Sorry, for being off-topic.

[Gorf]

An other way of "dialing a pirate".
I wonder if this (by Lucas Arts) was inspired by the ad:

[ViLXDRYAD]

Here is the ultimate tip to stop piracy; make software for free

[modrobert]

That ad made me think of the Soviet Union, at its peak roughly 10% of all citizens were KGB informants. At least those people were working for the communist state, loyalty based on political motivation and ideals. The idiot informant in the ad is helping for profit corporations, betraying a gentleman for sharing, what a loser.

BTW: Piracy is not theft, anyone telling you that has swallowed the propaganda.

[Retro1234]

I could be Rich! Rich! and buy as much MDMA as I like