Does copy protection create software pirates?

Published on Sunday, September 21, 2003 By Brad Wardell In WinCustomize News

So does putting copy protection on CDs thwart pirates or does it create more? How can you reduce software piracy?

This article says no: https://www.joeuser.com/index.asp?AID=209

My view is this:

1) CD copy protection mainly inconveniences legitimate buyers, not pirates.

2) Most game companies are completely unaware of how *convenient* piracy has become in the last couple of years. CD protection only adds more incentive to pirate. A casual gamer is likely to think "Why am I paying $50 for a game that makes me keep track of fairly delicate things (CDs) when I could, with a few clicks, have the game for free and not have to deal with copy protection?

3) The best way to combat piracy is to make the incentive for being a customer greater than the incentive for being a pirate. Give more benefits to purchasing such as free updates after release that are easy to obtain for legitimate buyers and more difficult for pirates.

That's in a nutshell. This issue really struck a nerve here because I'm packing up for a 3 day trip and as I go through a few games I'd like to play while on the plane or at night in the hotel, I realize that I don't want to take the CDs with me (what if they get scratched or lost?) which means no game. That's ridiculous.