Gee I don't see what the issue is here. You go out once when you install and get a verification key. 3D studio makes you call in and get a confirmation code via voice and I've seen worse than this for software. Sure it sucks but its not really CL's fault, its the hackers' fault. We're just stuck with the debris left behind by their "fuck 'em, steal it, why the hell should I care, I can steal it cause I can" attitude. These very same people ask in an earlier thread "Why is stealing so bad?" Well now you know. Should CL go out of business from lost sales? If someone can come up with a better scheme I'm sure CL would love to hear it. I'm in the software industry myself and I know how this stuff gets stolen. CL is NOT a huge company. They can't afford ripped off copies. I do think they SHOULD release the PPP patch WITHOUT copy protection. It was buggy when it went out and a patch should not force this kind of registration. Plus people can get stuff done now with P4 and PPP without the patch, especially if they can render in other packages so it makes little sense. In fact I doubt I could even find my serial number in my pile of computer crap. Now P5 I could see them doing this on. See where the chips fall. You might be surprised how painless the process is. Plus, if they lose sales, they have to correct for that or they go out of business anyway.