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BlackMagic Resolve: Fight with pirates and beginning of a fall
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  • @caveport I'm responding to the statement in the original post: "When Blackmagic became aware of this, they were able to defeat the pirated dongles in an already-planned 15.2.1 supplemental update."

  • From Redshark forum topic: "Actually, BMD is playing extraordinarily nice with this. As far as I can see there are no database changes and users can simply reload 15.2 if their dongle doesn't work anymore. The upgrade path has been closed off but all current software will work".

    @Vitaliy Your reply indicates to me that you have no idea about the true meaning of my post. I fully understand about software hacks vs. dongles. Blaming BMD for closing off updates for pirated dongles is ridiculous.

  • Your reply indicates to me that you have no idea about the true meaning of my post. I fully understand about software hacks vs. dongles. Blaming BMD for closing off updates for pirated dongles is ridiculous.

    And your reply indicates that you try to publically undermine that I write and my knowledge of the subject. Try to avoid this path in the future as you'll look stupid.

    I specifically wrote reasons why present BM action is wrong. This guys knew about pirated dongles and intentionally did not stopped them for quite a time. As they found that they allow them to sneak into areas where their free version couldn't go due to limits. It is efficient strategy. I also know that BM precisely tracks pirate scene and even all persons who is related to their software releases.
    Even more interesting is story lasting for years before this dongles appearance, but I better avoid for now describing all details and will do it later as will see fit.

  • I don’t get it, isn’t it a pretty known fact that if you buy any software not from the original manufacturer or authorized seller, you run the risk of buying a pirated software, or you run the risk of not being able to register the software correctly with the manufacture? How can you prove that the seller (from eBay) haven’t already installed a copy in on their machine or made copies to sell to others? Yes, assuming BM didn’t initially do anything about it, but as buyer why didn’t ask yourself I could eventually have a problem with the piece of software that I am just buying from someone who’s not an authorized seller? A year ago, when I was gonna buy FCPX, yes eBay had cheaper dongles of it with sellers claiming there are legitimate software. I have no reason to doubt them but as a buyer why are you not asking the simple question, where did they get it from? I ended up buying it from apple. This year before I thought about buying the BMPC4K, I have a friend who went to film school and was willing to give me tutorial on resolve. His recommendation was on getting the full version though he said the free version will be enough. I didn’t need to go to Black magic forum to know that buying the cheaper dongles from eBay could potentially be a problem because I know it’s highly possible it’s pirated. I bought a BMPCC4K because I wanted the full legal copy of resolve. I work in R&D and our yearly budget is directly proportional to sales. Budgets for new innovations have always come when sales are high. I can’t comment on BM business policies/practices or how different the free version is from the full version because I have never used the free version. But aren’t companies supposed to make a profit? Isn’t that why they go into business? Yes, there are lot of companies that buy their cooperate jets and CEO yacht on the backs of consumers high prices but it’s every consumer’s responsibility to choose to give them their hard end money. As concerns prices, I don’t see anything that BM is doing wrong and if or when they start acting like Adobe, I will drop them like how I have dropped Adobe!

  • Where I live, after Thatcher introduced competition into local bus networks, we had rival operators running their buses over the same routes competing with lower and lower fares until, for a period of several weeks, our bus journeys were free. However, for many years since we have had one company offering some of the dearest fares I know of - and which are way higher than in the other countries with publicly owned transport systems (including USA) that I have visited. So I understand the fears.
    But I don't believe it is axiomatic that a capitalist company cannot, with good will, try to offer its consumers a good deal. So far, my experience is that Black Magic is an ethical company. In the future I imagine BM will have to find a way of generating more income and that may involve crippling or eliminating the free version. If they do that in a non-subscription way with a modest charge for the functionality that I want, then I will stay with them and be grateful for the chance to benefit from all the resources that they must be throwing into Resolve.

  • "Actually we were alerted by the Black Friday sales and it took us a couple of days to QA a release that fixed the issue. If you have unfortunately been sold a counterfeit try to get a refund and seek a license from an authorized reseller." DaVinci Resolve Product Manager

    Those who are affected can still run R15.2 so what is the real issue? BMD only crippled FUTURE UPDATES. Hardly what you would call locking people out.

    Defending piracy or implying that somehow BMD need to accept some responsibility for pirated dongles is just plain crazy.

    Anyone who bought any other pirated product and tried to imply that the affected legitimate company are somehow acting inappropriately when protecting their income from theft would be laughed at. Software is no different. BMD and the purchasers of fake dongles are BOTH victims of a crime. So one victim (BMD) is expected to help compensate for another victim's loss? In the real world things don't work that way.

    @Vitaliy No I'm not stupid.

    "Even more interesting is story lasting for years before this dongles appearance, but I better avoid for now describing all details and will do it later as will see fit."

    More unsubstantiated claims. Either state the facts or I call B.S.

  • Defending piracy or implying that somehow BMD need to accept some responsibility for pirated dongles is just plain crazy.

    Can you finally start to read stuff, instead of spilling emotions and talking with yourself? As you constantly try to oppose things that exist only in your mind.

    BMD and the purchasers of fake dongles are BOTH victims of a crime.

    Crime?

    From normal human logic it is crime to resell time of your employees in the form of software indefinitely (big code parts I saw in BM repository is made many many years ago by people who never even worked in BM), aka software. Can you explain me, why in this perverted capitalist logic, developers must not get their income also indefinitely? No? Strange.

    More unsubstantiated claims. Either state the facts or I call B.S.

    I'll provide some details as I will see fit.
    And you will shut the mouth and patiently wait until this moment arrives.

  • Lol, I'm enjoying this one, hahaha

  • "From normal human logic it is crime to resell time of your employees in the form of software indefinitely (big code parts I saw in BM repository is made many many years ago by people who never even worked in BM), aka software. Can you explain me, why in this perverted capitalist logic, developers must not get their income also indefinitely? No? Strange."

    Yes, I will gladly shut my mouth after reading that piece of twisted logic.

  • How is this twisted logic? In the music industry it was the norm for a very long time, and some musicians became rich with a one hit wonder. Why doesn't the same apply to software? Other than with hardware, sheer replication is costing next to nothing.

  • @nomad

    If we get exploitation by definition - it is by far maximum for software developers. :-)
    As most of them do not understand that present time still is equivalence for capital accumulation at initial stages of capitalism (if we will look at physical goods manufacturing).
    Progress is slowing down. And most of the libraries and code will be sold by company owners as part of final product for long time.