Shareware the Pirates?

[BiggusGeekus]

I say go for it, but then I'm betting your time and money and not my own.

Is there any way to "tag" donations versus purchases so you can track how sucessful this is?

Incidentally, this is the reason I put my URL in the footer of my PDF. The idea was that at least this way if someone pirated the book, they'd know where they pirated it from. But after lurking on some warz forums, I basically gave up all hope that I'd ever see a dime out of pirates. It's really kind of nuts out there in internetland.

 

[GlassJaw]

That seems a bit unfair for the regular buyers, no?

Why have I paid full price, and that *** could download it for free and then pay 1 cent and have the same legal copy!?

I really wish there were some hard numbers on RPG product piracy. I really would like to know how prevalent and widespread it is.

Many people talk about "just" downloading a pirated copy but seriously, if you wanted to find something illegally, would you know where to look?

As far as this idea goes, moral issues aside, you won't see one red cent for this. For one thing, I don't think pirates would trust your "promise" that you wouldn't come after them, even though an electronic money trail now exists.

 

[punkorange]

I must say that having a pdf on your computer is not all that convenient when it comes time to play at the table. I agree if you download a pdf and like it, purchase it for real use, if not delete it.

I do think it is bad when someone downloads published, printed, or otherwise copyrighted material and prints it out for use at the game table.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Many people talk about "just" downloading a pirated copy but seriously, if you wanted to find something illegally, would you know where to look?

About a month or two ago there was a kerfuffle on the publishers forum because someone was selling about 70pdfs (some of them scanned books never released as pdfs) for $10 on ebay.

That kind of sucks.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

The only thing I have against that idea is offering it at a discounted price to pirates, though I gather that Microsoft has started doing something similar. List the actual price of the book first, then perhaps suggest a reduced payment for those who are too tightfisted to pay the full price.

However, this is one of the few constructive methods of dealing with the problem that I have seen.

Meanwhile I will keep buying legitimate copies, and takin' my chances.

The Auld Grump

 

[GlassJaw]

About a month or two ago there was a kerfuffle on the publishers forum because someone was selling about 70pdfs (some of them scanned books never released as pdfs) for $10 on ebay.

That kind of sucks.

Yeah, I have seen that, and it does sucks. Extremely blatant considering the auctioner tried to make it sound like it was completely legit IIRC.

Ebay aside though, I don't think it's that easy to just download any product you want any time you want it.

 

[The Sigil]

Yeah, I have seen that, and it does sucks. Extremely blatant considering the auctioner tried to make it sound like it was completely legit IIRC.

Ebay aside though, I don't think it's that easy to just download any product you want any time you want it.

While I don't think it is that easy to download any product at any time, there do exist channels out there where you can get very nearly any RPG product - regardless of whether it was ever released in a form other than hard copy - for download within 72 hours.

That's not quite "any product at any time," but sufficiently close thereunto (nearly any product very soon after you request it) to be just as tough for a publisher.

--The Sigil

 

[I'm A Banana]

I think you'll get something. Maybe not a lot, but something.

The thing is, most people who would already have a pirated copy of your work are going to be pretty okay with the idea of depriving an author of his or her deserved cut anyway, so you may as well be preaching to the bushes for all the good it will do you.

But on the other hand, a plan like that may have a benefit, in that someone who is interested in the product and hears about this program may illegally download it, and then send you a little something in compensation if they don't want to use the whole thing. I think it will be the minority -- only those who spend enough to time to do the research on your product, basically -- but if the idea is widely publicized and made very clear, I could see you getting something from it. Which, you know, is more than you would usually get for a pirated copy, so hey, bonus.

 

[GMSkarka]

It won't work, any more than the warning language in the front of paperbacks prevented the existance of used-book stores, or any more than the inclusion of discussions of theme and symbolism in the Vampire rulebook prevented power-gamers from playing it as "superheroes with fangs."

Plus, the method you're proposing simulataneously de-values your efforts, AND pisses off your legal customers. Not a good combination.

I report piracy when I come across it, but largely, I don't worry about it too much. In my experience, there is little cross-over between pirates and customers. The folks that like my stuff buy it, and I concentrate on them.

 

[Xath]

I think the idea is interesting, but I don't think it will work. As said above, most pirates don't even use/look at the books they download.