Community Watchdog Group

[Katahu]

Due to the recent withdrawals of several big-name developers, cause by the increasing threat of piracy [both from within and from without], I feel compelled to suggest that the flight sim community should team up and put together a community-run watchdog group that acts as an online version of INTERPOL. This group should be able to oversee all freeware and payware addons released and determine whether or not the addons are legitimate using an established system of identification and confirmation. On top of that, it should be able to keep an eye on sites that are suspected of pirating addons. And if piracy has been discovered, action would then be dealt with accordingly through legal channels.

But all of this won't be possible without first having all of the administrators of all the flight-sim based websites that are visited hundreds of times a day get together and create an aggreement on this and pool their resources together. Heck, for starters, someone should at least make a website that can spearhead this operation. If my finances ever permit, I might be able to start a second website of my own that would act as a base for this idea. Unfortunately, I don't have enough money to do that. So I'm stuck.

Any suggestions on how to put this plan into action?

Cheers,

Jessy Corrales
Flight Sim Ground Vehicles Admin

[ozzy72]

Alas Kat it won't work as many of the sites take issue with each other (I'll not mention which site has said many rude things about us). Also you can trace most of the trouble to one person "Ferdy" who runs FSPiratePlanet.
Whilst a good idea it'll never happen...

[Katahu]

Alas Kat it won't work as many of the sites take issue with each other (I'll not mention which site has said many rude things about us). Also you can trace most of the trouble to one person "Ferdy" who runs FSPiratePlanet.
Whilst a good idea it'll never happen...

Never say never.

[ozzy72]

Alas we're talking personalities and egos here. Knowing a little bit about psychology I can tell you it won't happen
Whilst a few sites may climb on board a certain site who shall remain anonymous won't and they're one of the bigger FS sites...

[Katahu]

If there is a will, there is a way.

[ozzy72]

Some will prove intractable simply because they refuse to get along with other people.
I'm not trying to be negative Kat 'cos I think the idea is a necessity and that something needs doing, just the real side of things is that egos get in the way.

[Katahu]

Some will prove intractable simply because they refuse to get along with other people.
I'm not trying to be negative Kat 'cos I think the idea is a necessity and that something is done, just the real side of things is that egos get in the way.

I know what you mean Ozzy. Egoes really do tend to be a pain in the ass. That's why every human has a "super ego".  ;D But I still hold on to that one speck of hope that one of these days, every major website would one day settle its differences with others and start solving problems.

[ozzy72]

Alas such a utopia is unlikely to exist anytime soon. Most of the major sites and a lot of the smaller specialist sites take this issue VERY seriously as they realise without developers they'll cease to exist. Alas Ferdy and Co. are the downside of our hobby. We have to try and keep a positive outlook and ignore the negative. I don't think a single "policing" force will ever exist but as long as the majority of sites are run by enthusiasts rather than crooks we'll survive. Alas there is no way to get rid of some people who just want to make money for themselves whilst screwing as many people as possible.
We just have to keep doing our best...

[Fly2e]

Good idea Kat but you need to remember. Many people do this for hobby as it is fun for them and rewarding. You start making freeware addons that need to go through a "committee" for approval and to get "registered" as a freeware addon on for the flightsim community and the whole idea of this hobby starts to lose sight of why people create freeware addons in the 1st place.

They can't keep music & DVDs from being pirated how do you think they will track simulator add ons that are "free" in the 1st place.

It is a very small percentage...

Dave

[JBaymore]

Kat,

As I said in the other thread... it is a GREAT idea.... but it needs "teeth" to work.  A "committee" will not work unless the committee refers actions to someone with a BIG STICK!

Line up a pro bono LAWYER who is willing to make an example out of the first two or three jerks who's heads pop up on the copyright infringement issue... and it'll slow it down a LOT.  

BUT as Dave pointed out....... if the HUGE music induistry can't seem to do it..... ("Download this song!")........ it is unlikely that the far smaller flight sim world will crack the nut.  The FS"pirate" website has merrily been chugfgfing along for a long time....and they are rather BLATANT about this kind of stuff.  If it were doable, ...... someone would have gotten them.

best,

....................john

[Katahu]

You know, I just had a better idea while I was sleeping; although I can't remember what I dreamed about except for the this new idea.

Instead of making this watchdog group a police force, how about we charge it with sending out information? Pirates [both the freeware and payware types] rely on ignorance from any flight sim new commer so that they can trick the new commer into buying freeware addons. That's when I realized that knowledge is power. The more people who know about sites like Flight Sim, AvSim, etc., the less likely a pirate would be able to fool a new commer.

Not only that, instead of having a group being on the look out, how about the entire community members? Every addon developer likes to keep an eye on his or her creations [whether it's freeware or payware]. But those developers can only go so far on their own to protect them. In that case, why not make the community members [on volunteering basis] be on the look out and act only as wistle blowers to let everyone else know about the piracy being committed? At the same time, other volunteers would work on letting every new commer be aware of freeware site like FSW.com and such. But for this part to work, the community would need to make an agreement with Microsoft and ACES team in terms of how to relay this information more effectively.

What do you think?

EDIT:

The purpose of this new idea is to reduce the pirates attempt to fool an unsuspecting buyer.

[JBaymore]

Pirates [both the freeware and payware types] rely on ignorance from any flight sim new commer so that they can trick the new commer into buying freeware addons.

Jessie,

Unfortunately I do not think that is an accurate assesment of the situation in the case of payware piracy.  I think that the vast perponderance of people buying this stuff know EXACLTY what they are doing........ paying a pittance for a piece of software that costs $25-60.  

The same way that people illegally download music files VERY knowingly.

As to the freeware sold as payware...... that is another story.

best,

.....................john

[Katahu]

It's very hard for me to make a proper assessment between payware and freeware. In that case, I should've rephrased that that sentenced.

[Ivan]

Good idea to REVIVE this...

A few years ago someone tried really hard at FSPlanet but he suddenly disappeared (forgot his username but i think it was the guy who was found dead in a field a few weeks after his last post on this forum)

[ozzy72]

Aye that was John (FSTipster)