Idea to fight warez/nulled boards

[scylla]

My idea goes as follows: I think that a new license should be generated whenever a person buys a licesne. That license number should then be added to a mysql database on invisionpower or wherever. Next, i think that the invision board software should be in a rar file, the user must then put in the license number to unlock it. Further more, i think that on the install menu, you MUST put in a license number, after you do that, the install script calls to the invisionpower database to check the status of the license. If it's already in use, then an error message would be generated and the user would not be able to get the software installed. Also, I think that if the line that contains the license check feature gets edited or removed then the install script corrupts itself, (with a little help from the invisionpower database maybe). This way, people would be able to post a version of this on a warez board but it would be absolutely useless to anybody who tries to use it, since they dont have a license. Obviously, way more features could be built around this idea. I hope it becomes a reality though and gets implemented into future versions of ipb.

[Baxter_jb]

I don't think this would work, that means that ipb database would need to allow connections for every remote host. which means if a person wishes to null a script they'd just have to change the db query so that they get a list of all licenses or insert a new liscense number and use it.

they could encrypt the install file but then no one would be able to use ipb without running zend on there box. I don't see something like this being implemented if there was a secure way of doing it I think M$ would be doing it as well :D

[UBERHOST.NET]

Thank gawd IPS doesn't think this way (no offense, scylla) because I do not like such schemes and I know I'm not alone. IPS has an outstanding program in place whereby customers report boards that appear illegal, and the anti-piracy team follows up on such reports. This works out well for legitimate customers, and it eventually brings justice to the pirates.

Just remember that every copy protection scheme you can design will be obsolete within hours if the software is popular.

[bfarber]

By the way, there are other license-protection schemas built into the software as well.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. The hackers get one license, or borrow someone elses, and then they just repackage the rar/zip file without a password.

Really, I don't see why members care so much about our license-protection capabilities. :) At the end of the day, if you pay for your software, you can legally use it. It really shouldn't matter to you about warez copies, which do eventually get checked and followed up on.