StarForce threatens to sue over criticism

Ahahahahahahahah!!! Isn´t freedom of speach just wonderful?

A little post from one of the StarForce pages:

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We certainly are not going to silence the voices of all the biased people on the internet, but we hope that a little bit of common sense goes a long way. Don’t believe rumors. Believe the facts.

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@ Ghostdog Echo,o,o,o,o,o,o,o!

i guarantee that those idiots don't have a leg to stand on if this goes to court. and the reason being that he is well within his rights to express his own opinion in any way he wants. BTW this entire post was written using my PSP. Booyah.............

Rootkit like tech being used to install software on the unknowing buyer of the games puter.

let me remind you all of the First commandment of American Law: Money Talks, BS walks..

Freedom of speech is the first ammendment. I can say what I want

Everyone just wait, talking will be against the law. The entire country will be a law where every person speaking is breaking and will be charged with harassment.

Starforce is installing programs without the users knowledge... didn't another BIG dollar company ($ony) do that, get sued, and lost. Money doesn't always talk. We (the consumers) have rights. Stand up for your's.

It's funny to watch these guys act like customers getting this crap on discs like it, and it causes no problems. Someone needs to come up with enough proof to go after em like sony.

HAHAHAAHA...wait, I shouldn't be laughing. You might be right... Anyway what they're doing is stupid. But I'm just glad I got this news from afterdawn.com so I could register on the SF forum and speak my mind. GOOD JOB AFTERDAWN! I remember back when those stupid finnish laws came in that afterdawn posted a link to where you could email the parliment about your objection to it. I wish AD would do more of that stuff.

ya u're right we ned some guys who have the gut to go after these fxxk up companies who just wanna fxxk around with the consumers now guys let stand up and stop buying these starforce protected games.

You know what, I'm probably gonna get flamed for this but hear me out. I've had this in my head for a little while so bear with me. What is the best way to support a company you like? You buy their product. What if you really like them? You buy a lot of their product. What's the next step? You could even buy stock, you could own part of the company (assuming it has stock on the market). So if the best way to support a company is to buy stock, what is the worst way to cripple a company? Have lots of people buy their stock and when they (SF) do something stupid like this let everyone who disagrees sell their stock and cause their price to drop regardless of how much they may loose. I think if you did that they'd listen a little bit better...

@ SISPH Whodathunkit? Consumers actually controlling the destiny of a companies marketshare from the inside?! There's something delightfully fiendish about the way you think!

Starforce SUX hehehehe sue me ya cheeky buggers !! in terms of time wasted your product causes more hastle than its worth. I for one will not buy any product with starforce in it. Playing 'Price Of Persia Two Thrones', Starforce caused so many fu****g problems that I had no choice other than to remove what was otherwise a very enjoyable game. The companies that use your software are losing sales!!!!!!!!! STOP DOING YOUR BETA TESTING ON PAYING CUSTOMERS !! (right, now where did i put my blood pressure tablets)

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Dear Sir, calling StarForce "Anti-copying malware" is a good enough cause to press charges and that is what our corporate lawyer is busy doing right now. I urge you to remove your post from http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/30/anticopying_malware_.html because it is full of insults, lies, false accusations and rumors. Your article violates approximately 11 international laws. Our USlawyer will contact you shortly. I have also contacted the FBI, because what you are doing is harassment. Sincerely, Dennis Zhidkov PR-manager StarForce Inc. www.star-force.com

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freshguy, If you think Dennis Zhidkov was "touchy" in his email imagine just how touchy he got when starforces coporate lawyers told him hew as a fool and an ass, and to shut up, as there is NO LEGAL basis for his claims and there is no such thing as a "prssing charges" for speech against a coporation in the US. You can't press charges in a civil claim, lol. Governmetns in democracies don't do "criminal" liabel or defamation, tha tis something one finds in dictatorships and fascist countries. The FBI for a speech issue? Yeah right. The fascinating thing is that Zhidkov is the one perhaps committing a crime by threatening a person with specious criminal charges to intimidate and harrass them! My guess is his lawyers told him he actually exposeed Starforce to a coutner suit (as well as a lot of bad publicity). The guy will be out of a job soon.

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Your article violates approximately 11 international laws.

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Well all I can say is that Starforce pisses me off so much (because it causes my machine to crash; I don't run any virtual drives software either) that I refuse to purchase any game that has starforce on it (Yes I purchase all my Games). Software distributors take note! I hope more people follow suite. Just because I do the right and buy my software I'm made to suffer. I am starting to think there good be better things then playing computer games (na, only kidding :-) ). Unfortunately consumers get treated like shit in Australia, we have no rights!

The anti-pirating software companies charge giants like EA games, Microsoft and others seven figures plus to come up with decent anti-copy software. They usually spend a year on an application like starforce, and some semi-pro or an engineer with Alcohol or similar cracks it in two days allowing anyone with a search engine to make a back up copy. In the end, we the gamers paid for the crappy security application and the only result was to make horrendous stability issues in a lot of end user pc's. The only real anti piracy tool is registration of your cd at first install and or cd keys that are keyed to the pc hardware similar to Windows newest way of keeping five dollar copies of XP Media edition off of the streets of downtown Rio DeJanero, for example. Even with that better idea, if you call Microsoft and pitch a loud biatch, they will authorize the install everytime. The security setup they use is aimed at garage pirates who make thousands of copies and sell them for media cost plus 20%, not the average home user who is not too happy with Windows OS anyways. Bottom line here is that we should not be investing time and resources into badmouthing the greedy, yet undereducated owners of Starforce, we should take our complaints to the game manufacturers and then back it up with not buying games with unbalanced and non intregrated security applications on them. Believe me,m EA games listens to us as a group, BF2 is proof of that. I admin a 3000 plus member tourney site for BF2 and have never heard anyone complain about Starforce there. But then again, first time I came across Starforce, I thought it was malware because of where it was installed and little file info available. May the Starforce not be with you,..........lol. Respects............Winter

i actually asked starforce for a comment on the 11 international laws that they allude to been broken: Hi , i read the article and am wondering if some one can explain the 11 international laws you say he has broken from the reply thread below that was sent to Cory Doctorow : This is not a private email that will violate your forum rules. Original content was from the site link below: http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/7267.cfm From: "Dennis Zhidkov" Date: January 31, 2006 9:55:40 AM BST To: "doctorow@craphound.com" Subject: StarForce Response to Cory Doctorow StarForce Inc. response to Mr. Cory Doctorow Dear Sir, calling StarForce "Anti-copying malware" is a good enough cause to press charges and that is what our corporate lawyer is busy doing right now. I urge you to remove your post from http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/30/antic...g_malware_.html because it is full of insults, lies, false accusations and rumors. Your article violates approximately 11 international laws. Our USlawyer will contact you shortly. I have also contacted the FBI, because what you are doing is harassment. Sincerely, Dennis Zhidkov PR-manager StarForce Inc. www.star-force.com I always assumed that freedom of speech was one of the founding priveledges in society By threatening Cory Doctorow with the FBI who i'm assured has better things to do than waste there time on trivial matters like this, maybe you have something to hide , i thought terrorism would of being more important than to the FBI than this.............. .................................. however below is there comments: from starforce: Thank you for your question andmerr! I'm closing this topic right now in order to prevent an unnecessary chain of reactions. Please be advised that there is a fine line between freedom of speech and libel. All in all, this is a matter internal to StarForce and Mr. Doctorow. When there will be any developments, we'll surely post them up.

So.... reading between the lines "We don't have a case, but we're not admitting to it"

Well I bet they are sweating in their shoes after the Sony xcp fiasco and the fact that you are legally allowed to make backups of software should prevent this type of copy protection. Below is an email I sent to starforce at and their reply. ----- Original Message ----- From: Paul ****** <*************.co.uk> To: <support@star-force.com> Sent: 03 æÅ×ÒÁÌØ 2006 Subject: fault with silent hunter 3 Hi I purchased a copy of silent hunter 3 just before Christmas & I have been trying to make a personal backup of the software to prevent damage to my original but after wasting loads of DVD's and a DVD burner that was damaged in the process of making one I have been made aware that your driver system prevents you from making personal backups of the computer software. I wanted to know if I produce the original disc with a receipt if you could either make or get a usable backup. Thank you. Hi Paul, Our drivers don't prevent copying of the discs, that's for sure. They are only used to check if the inserted disc is original. Such check is performed only on the protected game startup. Yes, the protection blocks the game if the copied disc is inserted - it is the common principle of the copy protection. In case if your original disc becomes damaged, then contact us, we'll find a solution. Best regards. Lev Boiarsky Customer Support Group StarForce Technologies

In answer to the last post, I am only too experienced with game sites that say they will help you out in such circumstances. In reality, they will be helping themselves to your allowance again, almost count on that as the only resolution allowed by shareholders and staff bean counters. HeHehe..........Yeah, right..........omg. Pigfister..........I know of very few games that cannot be backed up with the software we have available to us and some properly applied enumeration. What kind of protection does Silent Hunter use? Unless it is using special media discs that are structurally different than commercially available discs, it can be copied. Enumeration is a word used for the very act of lying to a game or application..If you can make the OS say it, the game will accept it.........Thats really all it is, sans the tweaks, knowledge archives and friendly forum pros, as it were. Winter-Out

Silent Hunter 3 uses copy protection StarForce v3 (v3.4.71.19) according to gamecopy world, but it is impossible to copy this game without forfeiting your pc warranty but I’m sure the law states that you are allowed to make a personal backup so you do not have to purchase the software twice!

Is there a link/site to view the programs and/or games that use StarForce? I would definately steer clear of games using this (protection?)

yes there is you can do a search in google but 1 good start place i have found is http://fileforums.com/showthread.php?s=426d60eba2873ab9f2e7244a6d9ca42f&t=70333&highlight=Silent+Hunter btw i got a recent response i got from starforce customer care for a questioin i posed: "So then I cannot use a backup. I thought the law in the UK allowed you to make and use a backup of any software that you have purchased?" and their response: "As I said StarForce doesnt block your ability to make the backup. I think that UK low doesnt guarantee that your backup copy will work. However we are only the technical support and we are not responsible for low related questions." that was from Lev Boiarsky from StarForce Technologies

It gets better doesn't it? Star Force are legalised criminals. Go ahead, sue me. The business is one of the least legal corporate entities I've seen, all to save the smaller games manufactuers 1% of their profits from the few people who don't bother buying their games. StarForce proprietary software has irreperably damaged three computers, costing me hundreds of pounds in time to sort out, and this is when only legal versions of the software are installed. People claim copyright piracy is linked to terrorism. We know it's all lies, but maybe we should bomb the damn place to teach them a lesson. Ugh. Nasty piece of work, the only bad thing about Cyprus.

If this Rights Destruction company sues Doctorow he'll have an excellent First Amendment case, it won't make it past the civil version of a preliminary hearing. Then he should countersue for abuse of process and harrasment. He's got a solid case against these Star Force trouser snakes and he'll win a mint. Put this in front of a jury--especially one filled with gamers!--and he'll win a large award. this is nothing but bush league intimidation tactics. The First Amendment still means something. In fact, I think it's StarForce that should be worried: about a class action suit by gamers whose computers have been damaged by their software.

here here !!! :)

Starforce is installing programs without the users knowledge... didn't another BIG dollar company ($ony) do that, get sued, and lost. Money doesn't always talk. We (the consumers) have rights. Stand up for your's. Exactly! Starforce is installing programs without the users knowledge... didn't another BIG dollar company ($ony) do that, get sued, and lost. Money doesn't always talk. We (the consumers) have rights. Stand up for your's.

These "rootkits" and other malware installed by games and even audio CDs are thought by some legal experts to be violations of Federal law. What we need is for someone to sue a company like STarForce for implanting, without permission, malware on PCs. Believe, if just one of these companies loses just one lawsuit, the rest of them will be changing their underwear. Last year, in fact, Sony recalled over 50 (!) audio CD titles because they contained malware that was screwing with people's machines. Not only was Sony afraid of a class action lawsuit, it was also getting loads of complaints from retailers such as BestBuy who were having to refund money to p*ssed off customers who were threatening small claims court actions for selling virus-infected discs. The legal system can work for the little guy. Unfortunately the people it usually works for are the lawyers. Big corporations are the biggest losers in the legal system. And that's born out by the thousands of bogus lawsutis costing hundreds of billions of dollars every year.

Is there a link/site to view the programs and/or games that use StarForce? I would definately steer clear of games using this (protection?) Unfortunately, unless you use software designed to detect Rights Destruction Technology (RDT)--the real name of so-called "copy-protection" software--you can't know what is on a game you've purchased. GameJack 5 has an excellent tool that identifies RDT. There's also a freeware program called ClonyXXL by a German guy. But I've found it doesn't work too well. And I don't think its been updated since 2002 or something like that.

CloneCD has allowed me to make images of games with StarForce Rights Destruction tech on them. I've then been able to mount them on a virtual Alcohol drive and play them with no problem. Slysoft.com is the maker of CloneCD and the a*s-kicking AnyDVD. Everyone interested in protecting our rights as consumers should be a slysoft customer. (And no, I don't work for them. Their in the Carribbean and I live in the Mojave desert. I'm totally disabled anyway.)

Well, if this has taught me anything, is that a person who would sue someone for a punch in the face, truly, indeed, deserves a punch in the face. I feel that whatever pansy came up with the concept of sueing someone should forever be ridiculed and smitted by whatever God s/he worships (I doubt a woman would be so evil as to create something like this). And if I were to be sued in some form of BS trial, go right ahead, you ain't getting any money I have, 'cuz I don't have any. I'd rather go to jail and do my time than pay another rich bastard for screwin' me over.

Not as if going to jail would achieve anything, you wouldn't change your mind about how corrupt they are, would you?

I doubt a woman would be so evil as to create something like this You don't know many women, then, do you? ;P People will still comment on others and people will still pirate software, no matter how many other people have gone to jail or who have been sued

"I doubt a woman would be so evil as to create something like this" i am a degree student studing computing and i am afraid to say the pc coding(c++)is very much, male dominated.

it is, yes, But that's not ruling out the possibility.

"StarForce is a joke,seems RELOADED cracked all there protection.

Any code can be cracked eventually but it set a president on how copy protection works, starforce affects your end user rights any was also easily exploited to run malicious code but they were never questioned about it unlike Sony recently, why?

Maybe i'm wrong here but isnt threating to sue and call the FBI a type of terrorism? So in effect isnt he call the FBI on himself?

It's kind of funny, the recent thing about the Dutch posting a comic about a muslim prophet in their newspaper, an outcry across the muslim world sparked boycotts and demands to repeal the comic from the newspaper. But the Dutch claim it to be part of their free speech act and their government and the UN is backing them up, and here is somebody who is trying to sue people to stop using their right to free speech and he thinks it will win, I think the odds will not favor him highly in court, international or otherwise.

SOunds like nomal corpate blight to me,they wont do soemthing thats commen sence,they would rather get sued and lose......

The best place to head to for great info on starforce protection is Boycott Starforce Spread the word PPL in all forums you visit, lets get rid of this copy protection that affects your user right to make a backup of your legitimate software! http://www.glop.org/starforce/

Thanks for that link, I'd like to join in, but not buying games with SF on is difficult, it's so good at what it does that downloading games with it is very hard, that is without increasing the damage it would normally do by disabling it...

why not email Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell the people who exposed sony about this crappy copy protection? their contact url is http://www.sysinternals.com/AboutUs.html

Maybe, but we don't want people to be looked on as the authority on stopping illegal businesses like SF, they've probably enough to do as it is...

BTW anyone know how hard it is to build something similar to what ID's Q3,Q4 online serial setup is? I think thats the best copy protection I have seen its simple and works great. What are the best Copy protections for games something that dose'nt annoy the end user to death and yet gives some protection to the makers?

the best copy protection would allow you to backup and use the backup and fight piracy. so some sort of online or telephone activation like ms windows but software companies seem reluctant to take this route as it means employing ppl to man the phones as not everyone has an internet connection. what happened with steam and half life 2?

"I have also contacted the FBI, because what you are doing is harassment." The Federal Bureau for Industry Problem easily solved. Don't buy their software and watch for the Vacant Lot sign

Not investigation then! Lol, might as well be.

pigfister Uhg dont talk about steam around me that lil pice of big brother baby sitting all everythign you do with the game is just messed up. IDs online key checker is ahell of alot faster stable and simple if you are online to checks the key when not online it dosent care hell they even released a update to remove the cd protection for Quake 4..even tho that game reeks ><!,HL2s steam forces you to update befor paly makeing pll suffer on dailup,lvl,mod and other info is montiored by steam,there is a offline mode but once you update it is forced into Online mode. Bascily Steam is annoying,bukly,hell on dailup(well everything is hell on dail up but when you have to have the 30MB update to paly...not to mention the frist 2 or 3 updates are more than 70MB),I refuse to deal with it even tho HL2 is good of corse there are now 100's of craks and hacks I might buy it now and remove steam from it :3 the downside of no steam is no mods ;_; In the end if you dont mind them haveing a hand in your data,constant updates and you have a desent DSL or better net connection then steam shouldnt to BAD to use.

Sarcasm dude, Steam sucks big time!

For good info on sf go to http://www.sysinternals.com/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=18 it is Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell's forum pages (the ppl who exposed sony)

Pigfister said: "the best copy protection would allow you to backup and use the backup and fight piracy. so some sort of online or telephone activation like ms windows but software companies seem reluctant to take this route as it means employing ppl to man the phones as not everyone has an internet connection. what happened with steam and half life 2? " They could always use a third party registration website, something along the lines of EA Games relationship with Gamespy. At least for the games intended for playing online, as Battlefield 2 is. Just a thought. Winter

I think the entertainment industry as with others, need a big reality check. If software costs were more reasonable then perhaps piracy wouldn’t be so prolific. Let’s face it; if I was to take an educated guess, most of the offenders are ones that can’t afford the initial $99.0 game price tag. What’s worse is that six months down track the game goes for around half that. So why not wait? Well for most people the good games are like a drug and people want them now to play, not tomorrow. For shame to the manufactures is all I say. If the manufactures spent less energy on preventing piracy and more on quality of the game with reasonable margins, then this wouldn’t be an issue at all, would it? I buy my games (yes I am patient). To be in this industry and expecting, no, knowing that you will able to afford a Ferrari only after doing two years of work is just selfish and greedy, just my opinion. Would it be unreasonable for me to assume that some of these games producers can afford those $500,000 cars? I suppose the software pirates should be thankful that it is only the drug dealers that kill you when you impact on there profits. Just give it time…...Remember Governments are there to legislate for big business, not the consumers, we shouldn’t kid ourselves.

the easy way to avoid starforce is to install the game but DONT PLAY IT YET, then get a patch/crack .exe replacement from http://www.gamecopyworld.com/ or http://www.megagames.com/ as it only installs when you click on the run icon so how does that stop piracy i ask myself? this way will also let you play your backups ppl just make sure there is a .exe replacement b4 you purchase the game!

A cracked exe is how it's usually done, but in this case I think it needs something more. Usually what i've found Gamecopyworld/megagames tell you to do is use an IDE disable program and then overwrite it, it's a bit bum-about-face really and isn't all that reliable. if there is a straight exe that's fantastic, but i haven't found one for a single game as of yet...

this is the link for the most upto date crack for silent hunter 3 http://m0004.gamecopyworld.com/games/pc_silent_hunter_3.shtml i have got mine working today with no sign of starforce. it is called Silent Hunter 3 v1.4b [ENGLISH] No-DVD/Fixed EXE but the official patch you use on silent hunter says patched to 1.3 but it is the 1.4 patch.

Oh well, one works then!

chuckles cheers for this read the world just gets more bizarre

pigfister Sorry sorry mind is fuzzy >< and soemtimes its just fuzz mew 0-o