In the past, I’ve written about software piracy, registration codes and catching users with pirated serial numbers. As part of the latest update to ReceiptWallet, I added some additional checks for invalid registration codes (read, pirated or hacked). One of the simplest ways to deal with this would be to have ReceiptWallet check in with my server to validate the code, but I don’t like that idea. What happens if my server goes down or my company goes away? Users can no longer use the software, so I avoid that method. This morning, after I released a new version of ReceiptWallet, one of the first messages I received was a user saying that there was an error with his serial number. This meant one of two things; the user was given a refund and is no longer eligible to use the software or he used a hacked serial number. After a little probing, he admitted that he didn’t remember purchasing the software and wanted to know how to buy it. I didn’t outright accuse him of using a hacked serial number, but I suspect he figured it out pretty quickly.
As with most serial number schemes, there is going to be no way to stop those that are serious about pirating. I have no plans on spending a ton of time on thwarting pirates, but an enhancement here and there doesn’t hurt.
I wonder how many other email messages I’ll get about invalid serial numbers.