Can pirated software destroy a company?

JO420

Anyone had experience with this?


and if so how much pirated software would it take?


and what exactly happens to the workers and such when this company is discovered to be doing so?

ElysiumGX

I hope so, and all the workers are sent to prisons where nasty horrible things are done to them. Butt things.

nitzmoff

It can. I once worked at a company where the pirates tracked us down and wanted their software back. A bloody swordfight and the repeated pummeling of the company with cannonballs eventually brought us to our knees. I still remember the mad "Yarghs!" as I watched my boss skewered in front of me.

I would not wish this experience on anyone.

jzero

Here's your established policy stuff.

How much would it take? If a small company of around 100 employees all used the same copy of XP and Office, or they were an effects house who all used cracked copies of MAX, something like that. Then the software publisher would have to get wind of it, and in the case of around 100 people all infringing, M$ or Autodesk or Adobe might choose to make an example out of them and sic the BSA on 'em. That's usually pretty painful in the wallet, if the BSA are involved, they're like the RIAA.

I've never heard of illegal software use scuttling a company, but you have to figure that a company that endorses that sort of behavior wouldn't be doing everything else legitimately, either. So piracy would probably be like #4 on the crimes list, after embezzlement, check fraud, or even simple bad management. Something worse than software piracy would probably bring such a company down first.

You guys, don't wedgie me 'cause I gave a straight answer...

/jzero

DeathTrip

I remember the guys who made Farcry were accused of having pirated software and they're still around.

monster

If a company is found using illegal software they are usually given about 30-60 days to buy legit software and remove the illegal software.

Enix

I couldn't imagine a company like Ubi Soft letting something that irresponsable happen. But then again, they are just there publishers right? Crytek is the one that would take most of the heat...Not sure how it works, but it just strikes me as odd to compromise a big game like farcry over a piece of software.

Justin Meisse

Did Crytek actually have pirated software though? All it takes to be accused of something is someone saying "they use pirated software". An irate customer got the MS anti piracy hounds on the computer store I worked at, we just had to show the paper trail that proved us innocent.

Ryno

I talked to a Discreet sales rep some time ago about this issue, and he told me an interesting story. Apparently support got a call, where the caller (game company) reported an error that was common during the beta testing of that Max release. Since beta had long since passed, the Discreet support rep figured out they were running cracks that were derived from the beta, as many cracks tend to be. So anyway, the rep asks if this problem is a common one for the company, and the caller says yes it is. "A bunch of artists are all having the same problem." So, the support guy gets all of the company info, and ensures them that the problem will be taken care of.

The support rep then looks up the company's file, and sees that they only have one or two licensed copies of Max. He then does homework, and figures out that the game company employs dozens of artists. He checks out the company website, where the company actually makes a statement that they are a "Max house.", and the support guy figures out that they aren't using any other 3d software.

So... Discreet then send out a rep to "Take care of the problem." When the rep shows up, he immediately counts the artists in the studio, subtracts two from the total, then tells them "To fix your problem, you will need to buy 37 legitimate copies of the software, or we will be forced to sue you." (Not sure if it was 37, but it was something like that.) The company had to do it.

The rep that told me the story wouldn't name which company it was, but hinted a bit. The funny thing is that the next year, the suspected game company's stuff was featured prominently in Discreet's demo reel. I remember wondering "I bet Discreet didn't have to pay for any of that footage."

Even in this worst-case scenerio, the cost of the software is still less than 3 artists salaries, so it's not as huge an expense as it appears.

CheapAlert

[ QUOTE ]
Did Crytek actually have pirated software tough?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope, it was just a stupid disgruntled fired worker looking for trouble so he acussed them. heh

Rick Stirling

Thankfully I've never worked at a studio where pirated software was used. We all know that from time to time some person installs something to see what it is like. I have also worked at a place where software was ordered and paid for, and then a copy was installed until the full retail version turned up.

It's simply too much of a risk not not play by the rules, and everywhere I have worked has had IT audits of all software installed on PCs on a regular basis. I've had to prove at 2 studios that I owned the copy of Silo that I had installed.

The Crytek thing: I *BELIEVE* it was an upset former employee or aquaintance that implied the software was pirated, and they were exonerated, but only a few people know the truth.


Enix: Ubisoft are a developer as well as a publisher.

ElysiumGX

It was an ex-intern for Crytek. Crytek may not have used pirated software, but so many FarCry mods rely on Max to work with the "easiest game to mod". Usually, being recruited into these mods requires you to "get" Max. Without a collaboration with a 3D app developer to provide tools to hobbyist, I see that as provoking piracy. Not like it's worth buying, eh?

PaK

I heard a rumor this is how one of the companies that made one of the theif games was closed. looking glass or spyglass or something?

Dunno, was just a rumor.

-R

poopinmymouth

I've worked for a company with pirated software before. It happens.

bearkub

I thought the Crytek thing was the Looking Glass thing that PaK is talking about...

I am so confused.

Weiser_Cain

I wonder if Ryno's company looked into switching apps after that...

Steve Schulze

I read all the literature I could about the death of Looking Glass shortly after it happened and never came across anythign about pirated software... doesn't necessarily mean anything though, I suppose