Piracy is an area that a lot of people argue about, whether it’s a consequence of the “free” market brought about by the Interrnet, or it’s just really another form of stealing, albeit digitally. One Android developer believes that “traditional anti-piracy measures” are not working anymore and it’s time to have a different approach. He should know, since his app is one of the most popular and most pirated for Android devices.
Jack Underwood is the developer of Today Calendar, a popular replacement app for your device’s built-in calendar. He told Reddit users that 85% of those using the supposedly Pro paid version of the app have actually acquired it through illegal means, or in other words, pirated software. It became a heated discussion in the thread, with some people suggesting “aggressive” ways of dealing with pirates, but Underwood ended up with a different approach.
The app determines if the install is pirated and will insert random “pirate-themed” events into the user’s calendar. He has already implemented one, a “Walk the Plank” event that has a graphic of a plank suspended over shark-infested waters. There’s also a note saying, “That’s what ye get fer piratin’ matey.” He is hoping that people will be annoyed enough (or even a little bit guilty enough?) into buying the legal $6 version of his app.
He has no intention of spending time, effort, and money into fighting it the traditional way, and would rather use all that into making the app more awesome so that people wouldn’t feel the price tag is too high. Although he is obviously biased, Underwood believes that the $6 is worth it if people use the app heavily and besides, he provides constant updates to it, sometimes three times a week. If you want to test the free version first before committing to the Pro version (hopefully, through legal means), Today Calendar also has a free ad-supported version.
VIA: Torrent Freak
