On Tue, 5 Sep 2006, Jack Ungerleider wrote: > On Mon, September 4, 2006 10:58 pm, markring40 at ippimail.com wrote: > >>> Mike Miller wrote: > >>> The thing I want to address is the notion that such distribution >>> damages the company that produces the software. That isn't clear. >>> When a program that usually costs $500, say, is being distributed for >>> free on the internet in violation of the license, many people will >>> download the program for free who would never have paid $500 for a >>> properly-licensed copy. So, a company that might have expected to >>> sell 2,000 copies at $500 apiece might find that 1,000,000 copies were >>> freely downloaded on the web against their wishes. But that means >>> that 998,000 more people are using their program than would have used >>> it otherwise. Are they worse off? Well that depends on how much they >>> sell. It could hurt them, but it also could help them. It depends. >> >> Mike I think you've answered your own question. The company in your >> example has lost $499 Million dollars!! That would definately hurt >> them. It would not help them. Jack-- Read it a little more carefully. I said that the 998,000 users couldn't afford the program and would never have bought it. Mike