Newsgroups: sci.crypt
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From: gordon@sneaky.lonestar.org (Gordon Burditt)
Subject: Re: Pawn shops etc, and a NEW question.
Message-ID: <1992Feb20.005019.2769@sneaky.lonestar.org>
Organization: Gordon Burditt
References: <299ffefa.knapper@knapper.cactus.org> <1992Feb18.190453.22924@ims.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1992 00:50:19 GMT

>must introduce something unique for each copy of the software.  Solution:
>use the customer's credit card number.  Here's how it might work:
...
>4) Each time the program runs, it prints the credit card number on the
>   screen after performing a test to be sure nothing was changed in the
>   software.

What honest buyer would be willing to buy software like this that 
broadcasts his credit card number to his employees?  to his teenager?
to his wife/husband?  to anyone looking over his shoulder?
A single-CPU license doesn't necessarily mean single-individual using
it, and certainly not single-individual-observing-the-screen.  You'd
never sell much this way either in the area of software to be used
at work by employees, nor game software, if people knew in advance
of this defect.

Pirates might be willing to broadcast the number of their *CANCELLED*
credit card.  They buy it, pay for it, close the account, wait
several months, and distribute it.

					Gordon L. Burditt
					sneaky.lonestar.org!gordon
