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In article <11201@ellymae.phx.mcd.mot.com> waycott@ellymae.phx.mcd.mot.com 
(John Waycott) writes:
>I recently purchased a few programs from Software Discounter's of America
[editied...]
>Well, I received them a few weeks later and to my surprise I got a copy
>of FSP 1.0 in a box which was clearly labeled 2.0. What makes this interesting
>is that Michtron, the distributor of FSP, NEVER SOLD version 1.0! The
>box and manual were shrink-wrapped, and no warranty card was in the box.

As a software vendor, I've seen quite a few resellers do this sort of thing.
It seems pretty common for dealers to open the package, copy the programs,
and then re-shrink-wrap it and sell it.   Not too bad in itself (so that
they can demo the program and become familiar with it) if they at least
put everything back, including the reg. card.   But many times dealers
have registered a program, then sold that same disk to a customer!  Of
course, I can't blame the customer - he gets validated.  But it's a hassle
for us and for the customer.

This happens even in stores, not only with Mail-Order.

What's worse, many dealers have sold the "NOT FOR RESALE" demo diskettes to
customers!

All this causes us to have to use a registration scheme and validate
the honest paying customers before giving tech. support. (Yes some
people actually call with phoney reg. numbers, hoping to get help with
the program for which they have no manuals.)  This is an inconvenience
for the customer, especially when the reg. cards get lost in the mail.

Overall though, most dealers are not this way.   I'm sure this also happens
on the IBM-PC too.

I agree with the John though when he says nobody has brought up how the 
honest paying customer is hurt by piracy.    Some of the points about
how the vendor is helped by piracy may in fact be true.  But I still
argue that if the software vendor is making a profit from the product
and pirates are using the product for free, then the paying customers
are financing the pirates, by paying an inflated price.  Arguing that
the pirates wouldn't buy the program anyway is no argument; they are
using the program without paying for it.  The paying customers are
paying for the software that the pirates use.  The pirates owe that
money to the paying customers, *not* the software vendor.  The paying
customers should take up a class action suit against the pirates.
-- 
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