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Serial Code for Kontakt Instruments?

Here's how ours works:
We have one too, here's a video of it at work:
With our libraries, we have a simple 'load license file' screen.
Nothing, it is purely a deterrent, it has no other purpose.

I altered some of David's words here, and I hope you don't mind David, because I think it's basically what you're trying to say, but isn't it true, isn't it really more of a psychological deterrent? Or is there some true protection here.

I do see the advantages though, for a psychological deterrent. It might not deter that person who's out there, hell bent on using a commercial instrument and it's samples to there own benefit, but it might keep that kid down the street, or an average person on the net, form giving it to their friends.
 
It takes care of the others. Even with the manual code entry, that's pretty simple to do.
I could have the script automatically save an nka file when they enter the code, but I fear the file getting saved to a wrong place, or the location being changed. IIRC, there are two different default locations, depending on whether it's Kontakt or Kontakt Player.

With that said, I do think I'm going to try it when I release an instrument with multiple nki's, but I fear the potential issues. Many of my customers are very unskilled with Kontakt and even computers in general, so we've seen some pretty bizarre folder structures. :grin:
 
I'm curious as to how these manual authorization systems compare vs. NI encryption for Kontakt Player? All of our libraries have been pirated equally and we gave up fighting it years ago. It seems to me that if someone just shared their NKA and NKI files, anyone could use it...
 
I'm curious as to how these manual authorization systems compare vs. NI encryption for Kontakt Player? All of our libraries have been pirated equally and we gave up fighting it years ago. It seems to me that if someone just shared their NKA and NKI files, anyone could use it...
Yes, they could, but by making a point of showing the customer that I'll be able to trace whose copy is whose, I think this cuts down on that. It limits piracy to the "stolen credit card" crowd, which slows the piracy process down. (Stolen credit card numbers aren't free, so those guys can only pirate when they have a number.) For me, the proof is in the pudding, in that my titles generally take a year or more before they get pirated. I know a couple other companies with similar results.

The other advantage is that if something does show up on a pirate site, I know who not to give updates to. For example, RealiDrums 2.0 was released over two years ago, but the version on the torrents is 1.2. To get 2.0 on the torrent sites, someone would have to get a stolen credit card again.
 
I could have the script automatically save an nka file when they enter the code, but I fear the file getting saved to a wrong place, or the location being changed.
I'm saving the arrays in the Data folder. That's always in the same place relative to the NKR, so the user can move the whole library somewhere else with no issues.
If a user is going to go in and move/delete individual files from a library then, well, they can expect things to break.

The only issue I've ever had was when they were storing their libraries in a read-only location, so Kontakt couldn't write to the file. I got them to move the library to the desktop, activate it, then move it back.
 
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I'm saving the arrays in the Data folder. That's always in the same place relative to the NKR, so the user can move the whole library somewhere else with no issues.
If a user is going to go in and move/delete individual files from a library then, well, they can expect things to break.

The only issue I've ever had was when they were storing their libraries in a read-only location, so Kontakt couldn't write to the file. I got them to move the library to the desktop, activate it, then move it back.

Hi
What if someone distributes the library along with the nka??
 
Then the dev can download it and see who uploaded it - not much they can do about it though other than blacklist the user.
Besides, a tough job to create a unique nka that should be changed with each script unless they have the same name.
 
Besides, a tough job to create a unique nka that should be changed with each script unless they have the same name.
This will be a total unrespect for users.
Here is my opinion on any practice of copy-protection:
I've distributed three instruments by myself, every took about 500% more than previous, And the only second was copy-protected. I think, until some point when your company becomes "spitfire", there is no any valuable profit from copy-protection. You're just making much more on popularization, good user-experience, and price-policy.
When a company becomes a "corporation", things go totally different. Other mechanics works and other goals are been achieved. I would like never become a corporation ;)
P.S. The fact, that @Mike Greene could make an update to his instruments cost me and my friends muuch more than any copy-protection practice)

I also have some jujments about selling soft at all, but still I'm not running workable model, I'm silent))
 
Just a question. Do all libraries get pirated ? Or do the more expensive ones get pirated more ?
If the cheaper ones could do without protection, what would be the tipping price ?

I also have some jujments about selling soft at all, but still I'm not running workable model, I'm silent))

Same here.
 
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Do all libraries get pirated ?
Impossible to say for certain but we can say almost all.

Or do the more expensive ones get pirated more ?
Not necessarily. The more popular ones tend to be available in more places and for a longer period of time. Generally the more successful the product the more it will be available from unauthorized sources. But some software that is released for free gets uploaded too.
 
Just a question. Do all libraries get pirated ? Or do the more expensive ones get pirated more ?
If the cheaper ones could do without protection, what would be the tipping price ?



Same here.
There is no tipping point/price - even $5 libraries get pirated if they dont have any protection.
 
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