The EU suppressed a 300-page study that found piracy doesn’t harm sales (2017)
I’ve worked to prevent piracy of a SaaS software for a niche industry.When we put the first anti piracy solution in place during the winter of 2020 they tripled the number of subscribers within a week.Some might argue this was due to Covid lockdowns but this was months after most businesses had already been locked down and the timing directly coincided with the implementation. Support was inundated with requests to disable the new feature that had prevented piracy.Subscriptions have kept growing nicely.On the other hand, I got started in software development as a kid by learning about how to use hex editors to implement hacks in games. The warez scene was big in those days.Not sure what the right answer is to addressing piracy. I’m sure it helps kids and those in developing countries get into the industry but if people don’t pay for something it’ll no longer be offered.