The scenario I proposed to start this thread off was not meant to be a direct comparison to CL ... it was something I made up to show the other side of the coin, in hopes that we could discuss solutions without dragging any specific application into the scenario. To reduce the impact that the above scenario describes, there are two immediate solutions that are apparent ... (1) implement some sort of piracy protection that makes it a bit more difficult for pirates to do their thing, and (2) actively battle against the warez sites. There is, of course, another alternative that would be even less appealing to the user base. Increase the price. Personally, I'd rather have the auth code. 8-) It has been mentioned in other threads that there are other 3D applications that use similar copy protection schemes. Hardware and software locks haven't stopped loyal users from purchasing and upgrading those programs, as some sort of copy protection has been "standard fare" for them for quite some time. Hopefully, CL has enough loyal users that they will pull through. I believe they do. And, as others have mentioned, software protection is becoming more prevalent in the latest releases of many software programs, including those geared toward the average consumer. A fad or a trend? I doubt it ... but having to obtain an authorization code is a much more "user friendly" choice than having to pay more. Denise