Software Piracy Concern

[aeric]

Since it is easy for reverse engineering nowadays, do you still put more effort to protect software piracy especially you are a small indie developer and distributing offline software?
If yes, what basic protection you will still implement?
Even if you use an online license activation server, I think it is still easy to crack.

How to Prevent Software Piracy and License Bypass

Learn how to prevent software piracy with code obfuscation, license protection, anti-tamper checks, watermarking, and runtime defenses.

www.preemptive.com

 

[fernando1987]

I think implementing basic protection is worthwhile, as long as the effort is proportional to the size of the project.

For B4J applications on Windows, I have included JLicenseManager in my jdashboardUI library. It supports offline licenses tied to a machine through its HWID, expiration dates, and trial periods.

This does not prevent reverse engineering or guarantee that someone cannot modify the application to bypass validation. Its purpose is to manage authorized use and make sharing the same license across multiple machines more difficult.

I see it as one layer that can be combined with obfuscation and integrity checks. As an independent developer, I would aim for a balance: putting reasonable obstacles in the way of unauthorized copying without spending more effort on protection than on the product itself, or making life harder for legitimate customers.

 

[hatzisn]

Since it is easy for reverse engineering nowadays, do you still put more effort to protect software piracy especially you are a small indie developer and distributing offline software?
If yes, what basic protection you will still implement?
Even if you use an online license activation server, I think it is still easy to crack.

How to Prevent Software Piracy and License Bypass

Learn how to prevent software piracy with code obfuscation, license protection, anti-tamper checks, watermarking, and runtime defenses.

www.preemptive.com

I had tried a free obfuscation tool before 5-6 years for a B4J jar. The tool presented success in the obfuscation of the jar but the jar itself was not working but was raising exceptions. Maybe this happened because it was a free tool.

 

[Jones Hone]

I'd love for a bunch of people to be stealing my software! That means my software is good, which is why people want to steal it!

Don't obsess over how to protect your software; instead, write good software that people want to steal!

Software protection only requires a little effort! Hehe! If we accidentally catch a pirate, we'll just ask them to buy the copyright so they can continue using it! Of course, it'll cost several times the normal price!