Alibre in China
- Thread starter MilesH
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swertel
Alibre Super User
RaceCAD was the Russian version of Alibre where someone stole the source code of Alibre, changed a few things to call it RaceCAD, but left everything else the same. It was very obvious durnig litigation that it was EXACTLY the same code. Needless to say, even in Russia, Alibre won that battle.
There's really no reason to steal something if it's already free, but I'm sure there are folks out there who are not happy with the minor restrictions that come with Xpress who are working on a way to circumvent those - but you know what's so ridiculous about that type of behavoir - well any type of criminal behavoir really - if you charted what they make monetarily against all the time and effort spent, plus add in the possibility of fines/jail time, money spent on lawyers, etc. they wind up making less per hour than someone working at a fast food chain. Wasn't there a free CAD program coming out of China that was supposed to be a rip-off of AutoCad - I'm sure I got a slew of e-mails about downloading it and/or becoming a re-seller.
I have had a few friends that travel frequently and work in the machine building trade. They all were offered software where the code was cracked (altered code as to allow full use) to allow full features without a license.
I was told by one man that he could buy autocad for 10 US dollars and many other CAD programs were the same. Windows XP, MS Visual studio, Office, autocad, mastercam and many others were among the list they told me of. All the software was from Russia or China if that tells you anything. :roll:
Some folks say they don't hurt anyone by buying stolen software because they're only going to use it for personal purposes - teaching themselves the application, doing home projects, nothing commercial, etc. But thru the act of buying the software, they condone and finance the parties behind the theft. In the US, as in most societies, possession of stolen property is in itself a crime. What's even worse, is that a many of people purchasing these stolen goods, are quite capable of paying for it, they do it simply because they can.
I believe that there is a moral and ethical underpinning to the fabric of society that is being snipped at with all these little scissors of moral rationalization, until eventually it's so tattered, it falls apart. We all pay the price for other people's anti-social acts. And it falls to each of us to take a stand against such things, however small they might seem to be.
you're lame to pay $10 for hacked software, its free online. (not condoning the use)
you're morally wrong to use hacked software, its done all over the world including the states.
{edited by mod}
You can tell adam and eve not to eat from the forbidden tree but will they do it anyway :?:
the answer is out there but mankind is incapable of grasping it.
I don't follow the stats as to what country is running in first place as far as theft, scams, and such are concerned, but I do know quite a few people that buy hacked software, copy DVD's illegally, download music they don't pay for, etc., etc. They probably also run stop signs, speed, surf the internet on their employer's time, steal an occasional candy bar, and never tip
, they are in the game for as much as they can get out of it, regardless of who it harms. I find such attitudes just a little dis-heartening. But then again, I'm a romantic, optomistic, humanist who really thinks it's possible for people to evolve. Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge, and became self-aware, which allowed them to discern between good and evil, and also put the responsibilitiy for choosing between the two, squarely on their shoulders. And its been a problem ever since we became consciously aware of who and what we are. A lot of folks still behave like our primate ancestors.
Yes, people have always been like that, and regardless of which philosphical, ethical, or religious, system they profess to believe in they still do really bad things. That's why we have laws and when you break them you pay the consequences. And yes, people all over the world do it, so for some people that makes it morally and ethically acceptable, but I'll bet that if you walked over to their desk, house, car, etc., and took their keyboard, lawn mower, XM radio, they would pitch a real hissy fit. Why, because you're stealing their property now. :shock: But when they steal someone elses property (intellectual or real), it's okay?
Mayor Gulliani found that when the police began enforcing some of the little laws (against loitering, pan-handling, jay-walking, littering, etc.) that the rate of major cimes in New York fell. Little things do count. Small actions make a difference. So we can all make a difference by simply doing the right thing when it comes to the small things, being courteous, being honest, and trying to see the long term consequences of our actions.
At the end of the road, it's never really about money is it? If it was the grim reaper would take VISA.
The $10 would be for the CD (that can't be traced by a FBI server) but that's not the point. The point is it is wrong. I had a design stolen by an OEM machine builder. They have made well over $30,000 in profit from my design (that I know of). I was told it was my own fault for showing them design without a patent.
Without financial resources I could not fight them. Without money you can't make money......oh well. The point is it was wrong and the only way to prevent it is not to give them the chance to do it. That is hard to do in today's time without more money.....oh well.
Here's a suggestion - next time make copies of all your drawings, renderings, etc, date stamp them, seal them in an envelope, and mail them to yourself. Don't open the envelope. Put it away, and if anyone does this again, you can use your copyrighted (they're copyrighted as soon as they're published - read printed off) documents to prove ownership of the idea/intellectual property. You can also apply for the copyright on the documents through the government for a fee, but from what I know this technique it does work in the areas of writing and art, so I can see why desing engineering would be that different. The patent process is so cumbersome and filled with pitfalls that it's really become the province of patent lawyers, most of whom we can't afford in the first place.
To truly protect your intellectual properties you must have the prospective company sign a NDA or Non Disclosure Agreement. Depending on how complex, you can state that it is your idea given as of x date and if any of the information you are about to give is used without your permission they must pay for it. The beauty is this states the date of agreement, in which they must proove their R&D beforehand and what terms should have been met.
The ol stamp date trick does not necessarily work, as it shows the date of designs though usually dismissed in court. the way to help oneself is to have the conversation's presence in writing such as with an NDA.
Had you the ability to take your idea to another OEM, you could have enhanced the concept to create a better more profitable product. If this idea is still up to date then its not too late. Pre-made NDA's can be found online amongst other resources. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-disclosure_agreement
Those of us who can afford to pay for software should be greatful of this freedom and ability. Dont forget your roots. As a student/inventor I had to work my way to where I am today. I dont know if you've seen shows stressing how hard it is to make a living on minimum wage, its very difficult and I can tell you firsthand. If it's this hard here in the states, I can only imagine what it's like in some countries to just survive another day. Countries {edited by mod}where governments are extremely selfish and people starve every day. Its hard to live by moral law when one lives under certain circumstances, and we only see the glorious side via the media.
(edited by moderator....)
A NDA will buoy your position, but you still need definative proof that the idea was yours to begin with, hence the copyright protection. As I said it is possible to take out a formal copyright, that is registered with the federal government. I'll do a little more research, but I think the fee is around $50.00 total, maybe more today as the last time I seriously looked at doing so was several years ago. A lot of companies will require that 'you' as a vendor, or service supplier, or contract designer, sign an NDA but will shy away from signing one themselves, as it relates to information you provide them, especially if it's connected to any work you may be doing for them. I would also copy all my design data onto an optic disc(CD, DVD) and include that in the package I mailed to myself. In civil suits, it is usually the perponderence of evidence that wins the day. The more you have, the better off you are. Besides, how much is it going to cost to mail the package to yourself, certified mail? From a legal standpoint I would think it worth the $8-$10 the entire process might cost.
Granted you can't copyright the device or mechanisim itself, a patent would be require for that, but the authorship of the idea and it's representation is copyrightable, and does offer some level of protection as it relates to intellectual property. Hrer's a link to some good info from the gov.
http://www.business.gov/phases/launching/protect_ideas/copyright_faq.html
Another good thing about copyrights is you can register one years after you've published the work in a tangible medium (drawing, CD, DVD, floppy disc, book, paper, etc.)
Filing a patent is the only sure method of protecting the type of information we've been discussing here, and I think it would be possible to do so for around $2,000 and a lot of time spent getting familiar with the process if you're an independent inventor or a small company. Here's a link to the Patent Office info which might also be of some interest.
http://www.uspto.gov/ebc/efs/index.html
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This is a moderator.
Please keep your post related to the topics, and refrain from making opinions that can do nothing but flame emotions.
I am going to edit some of the posts to cut out those remarks.
Edit: If there are issues with what I chose to edit, I will delete all but the original post. Let's keep this forum tight.
2nd Edit: I think all that can be said about the original topic has been said. So, the topic is being locked.
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