Technical question

Chamber005

Chamber005

Carbonite Member
No discussion here whatsoever, I'm just wondering if from a TECHNICAL standpoint if anyone here knows if pirated copies of software contain some sort of encryption. I can't seem to find a complete answer to this.

For instance, if you used a pirated copy of Microsoft Word and wrote a document and emailed it, is their encryption in that document that shows that it is pirated? Same as a video edited with a pirated editor, effects pirated, etc.

I'm doing what due dilligence I can when hiring people, but a lot of the college kids I've spoken with about digital effects don't have proof that their copies aren't pirated. If they do effects for me and I sell what they made I don't want to be liable so I'm really at a stand still until I get a firm answer on this.

Thanks guys! And again, please no discussions about piracy either for or against. This is strictly a technical question and this feels like one of the best places to ask.

thank you!!!
 
It's possible of course that they could do anything like that if they desired - but certainly there is the user registration details (as registered) in there. You can see them in plain text if you view a word doc with a text editor.

However from what you describe I don't feel there will be anything in there to make what they create worthless. In any case all you need to do is part of any agreement with them (ie what they do what you pay etc) simply says that they warrant to you they will use only authorised software, it is all their own work, they give you the rights to resell etc.
 
No. Pirated copies don't know they're pirated. And in video the final deliverables wouldn't be as project files anyway. For things like Word the user data is going to be identical to a legal copy of the software. If people are pirating software it won't have an effect on you.
 
Pirated software either (1) knows that it is pirated, and does not work or does not work properly, or (2) it does not know that it is pirated and in this case it works normally. Most software that can detect it is not a legal copy, refuse to work right from the start. Some software works, but does not have full functionality, usually because of a bad crack, this may happen if the legality of software is checked by different modules independently.

So, at most, you will have digital signature of the software and sometimes user name and/or serial number. If a software vendor can trace the same serial number or digital signature to different users, this likely means that the software is pirated.

MS Office documents are "signed" with user name, this is visible in document properties. I am not sure whether they are signed with a serial number. Signing more common format like JPG is more difficult, I don't think there are provisions for that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top