"...You can only make one copy of it, and that one copy cannot be used to copy anything else. And it must work only on some kind of thing where its already been installed. But the problem is one person gets the game, makes a copy, installs the orginal on a friend's computer, and the friend uses the copy. Its a tricky matter, copy protection..."
No it's not. Frankly I'm surprised that disc mfgs have not already thought of it. The only reason that people freely give stuff away on the internet is because there is no percieved "at stake" issues for them. The way around this is to make it personal, that is, when you buy a licensed piece of software, that the software incorporates vital data about the buyer, like DOB, address, credit card number all on the disc. You can make as many copies as you want. But I'll bet you be loath to give it away. The technology is already there.
Further, media would not have to be in inventory until the point of sale, when a disc is finalized with the buyer's data. The only thing shops will have to have on hand are blank discs and empty jewel cases. When you buy a piece of software your package inserts are printed right at the point of sale, along with your personalized disc. As each disc is sold, portions of the proceeds will automatically be given to the mfg, artist, publisher, and vendor. Private info is only held on the disc. It's not the major pirating organizations that the copyright holders fear, it's the mainstream casual copying. A business model such as I've outlined would stop the casual pirate cold.
Ralph
