Beyond relying on an automated Web crawler that scours the Internet for unauthorized files, alliance investigators also try to snare pirates by gradually building relationships with them, using assumed identities. After pinpointing a transgressor's Internet address, they send a note to the company that provides Internet access to the pirate, requesting that the files or sites be removed. The responsiveness varies, but service providers on good terms with the software alliance often comply "within a few hours," the investigator said.
But as some pirates find better ways to mask their identities, it is becoming harder to track them. "They're truly ghosts on the Internet now," said Plante of Symantec. "They're virtually untraceable."
Another problem is users' motivation. Fly-by-night Web stores that sell pirated software on CDs and DVDs are a nagging presence, but many pirates are in it for the kicks.
"It's about getting recognition," said Drew McManus, who directs Adobe's antipiracy operation. "It's about being the first or the best at cracking."
Some are so fast that pirated versions of new programs often hit the P2P networks before they are officially released, a problem that also plagues Hollywood with films.
Adding to the worries is the relatively recent appearance on P2P sites of high-end business software like AutoCAD, an industrial-grade design program that can sell for more than $3,000. "You basically need to be trained in that in order to use it," the alliance investigator said. "It's a professional program."
How are the software companies fighting back? "I don't think anything is off the table," said Robert Kruger, a vice president of the software alliance. "You're competing against free, and that's hard to do."
One approach is mandatory online activation, which Microsoft, Adobe, Symantec, Macromedia and others, have introduced for some products. Software pirates have already cracked many of these new registration methods, a familiar development in the antipiracy battles.
"Yes, you can crack it," Plante said, but he added, "It's extremely inconvenient to try and use the cracked version."
In the meantime, the software alliance's sleuths have plenty to keep them busy. The organization recently discovered a P2P site, whose name the investigator declined to make public, that offers verified downloads of innumerable programs and can even locate files invisible to other P2P programs. You will not find it through Google.
"It's incredible how much you can get," he said. "It's too easy."
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