OK, full-on Rant! I’ve now got mad at firstly the audacity of individuals coming into OUR house and seeking solutions! Secondly, the precious time we spend on proffering solutions to ”their” problems.
Can we suggest a method of just how these posts are weeded out from the beginning?
GGGGGRrrrrah...!
+1
For example:
Continue to make reading rights free, but only allow the creation of a contribution by entering a valid product key.
@walter-i. - +10.... Ooooo.... I like that.
The only way to know the person is using a valid VP is asking their build number.
I think cracked VP are stuck to that build number forever
I think cracked VP are stuck to that build number forever
@alifftudm95 - Ah, is it! I’m seeing low builds popping up. What can we do to assist vegascreativesoftware to stamp on this? But here’s the “thing” - could a cracked version be being regarded as a DEMO version that COULD lead onto a future purchase? Think about it.... Even more resin for the SN number for clarification hereabouts.
I will not say that this counts for every user, but normally you can easily distinguish between users of cracked VegasPro versions when:
Spending your precious time for bringing up solutions for their problems is up to you, you can also ignore.
Maybe each first-time poster has to provide first some details about himself before being able to post: like being amateur or pro, about used camera(s), experience in video editing, how come to Vegaspro etc.etc.
Spending your precious time for bringing up solutions for their problems is up to you, you can also ignore.Maybe each first-time poster has to provide first some details about himself before being able to post: like being amateur or pro, about used camera(s), experience in video editing, how come to Vegaspro etc.etc.
Yes, right - but for this investigation we are again wasting much of the precious time we could use for helping legal users.
Hence my suggestion above to make posting here in the forum dependent on a valid SN number (trial or full version).
However, only the Vegas development team can help us with this - by implementing this feature in the forum software.
Quite frankly, I don't think that's an excessive request - after all, we're taking a lot of work off the Vegas team by solving problems here that would otherwise end up in product support........
What do you mean @VEGASDerek?
@walter-i. - Yes! But I think: What do you THINK @VEGASDerek?
@walter-i. - Yes! But I think: What do you THINK @VEGASDerek?
Well, I just wanted to ask someone from the Vegas development team to comment.
The Vegas team should have an opinion on how their little helpers use or fritter away their precious Life-time here.
Vegas is one of the more easily cracked video NLEs out there. My first experience with Pro was using a cracked version back on Version 4. I liked it enough to invest. I don't believe they had free demos at that time. But wasn't there a period of time (maybe before Magix) where you had to enter your product key to get an account with Vegas support? (including the forum). Vegas has become very popular with gamers because of its crackability. I am not saying all gamers are using it illegally, but I would guess there is a large group that is. You will notice many of the users are using 3rd party effx that can be quite expensive to purchase. Anyway, I agree there needs to be some way to weed them out here, but honestly there are plenty of other sites they can go to for free support.
In general I think it's best to err on the side of being a welcoming community to all and not assuming users are pirating Vegas and abusing the forum. If they give us evidence of it that's a different story. So unless there's a way to restrict them upfront I'd keep doing what we've been doing.
We have ways of identifying users with cracked versions of the code. The moderators are aware of this, but we do not make this information public.
I would also add that the number of users on this forum that have cracked versions appears to be relatively low. Other forums like Creative Cow and fan pages on Facebook do a fairly good job of managing the pirate users. Reddit is really the area which you will see most of the users of cracked versions interacting.
There was a similarly veined topic a year or so ago about this very subject to which I contributed at the time. I have trawled through My Comments twice but have been unable to locate that thread. The thing I recall from the time is that a VEGAS staff member added to the discussion saying that Vegas Creative Software (VCS) wanted to keep the forum open to those just wanting to ask about Vegas Pro without having to have bought it - i.e. potential buyers. In a completely different post some months later, a VCS staff member commented that the company 'knows' who illegally uses Vegas Pro.
Perhaps all those websites offering Vegas Pro (sorry, Sony Vegas Pro 14 to 18 - just do a Google search) are off-shore and away from legal consequences of peddling stolen goods.
My impression is that VCS unhappily accepts that cracked/piracy issues on the forum is one of the unfortunate costs of doing business.
As pointed out by @3POINT, the biggest giveaway to a pirate user is a brand new newbie who refers to the product as Sony. It's now some 5 years since Vegas Pro changed hands from Sony to MAGIX. Why in 2021 would a 'newbie' to the NLE world be naming a current MAGIX product by a years old name unless it was likely obtained by an avenue which still goes by an historic corporate name - i.e. a pirate DL?
Notice that when the name problem is pointed out in the forum, the OP often just answers, "Sorry, I meant Vegas Pro". Yeah, right! And this is not aimed at those who have used Vegas Pro since year dot and still fall back into the old naming convention.
@Grazie ... I am not sure that there is a perfect resolution here - but I agree whole-heartedly with you. With a first post in 2021, an OP naming VP18 as Sony - be wary. Perhaps those who admit to having a pirate version of VP should be blocked from posting on the forum again until they can produce a valid SN to their forum email address aligning with their MAGIX account. The trouble is that many on the forum are willing to help those with apparently pirated copies. In that way, its a losing battle.
@VEGASDerek ... thank you for your input here - it's very important. Is there some way of managing those on the forum who have pirated copies of Vegas Pro (and other MAGIX products of course). As in @Grazie 's case, the person commented in another post admitting that he had a pirated version of Vegas Pro - yet he could continue posting/commenting. It just seems wrong that he was allowed to continue commenting and seeking help for his illegally obtained VP.
That's a question for the moderators.
Moderators ... your opinions please.
It's just like vkmast commented in the last case: "There is no support here on this forum for cracked or pirated versions." We use the given tools to prevent this once we are aware.
I often see inquiries about bugs in old superseded versions of Vegas on the Facebook group pages which are admitted to be recent downloads and are most certainly cracked. But I try to help anyway, particularly if I can point out if a bug is extinguished or performance improved in the most recent "free" update... guess that's kind of snarky of me. If Vegas has metrics on users running cracked versions, wonder if they also have data on how many of them eventually upgrade to a legal version.
It's the collateral we all face from a free-for-all forum. A registered-only user forum might steer many of the wannabees in the right direction.
As a blanket statement about piracy and VEGAS Pro, I would like everyone to know that we are not naïve about the situation and the state of the copy protection in the software. We have many discussions about it and work is being done behind the scenes in regards to this, but it is not something we can openly talk about (obviously). As users (and legitimate users specifically), you should not worry about this and rest assured that we are not ignoring this problem.
@VEGASDerek - Agreed. I’ve been made aware of these antics in the last few days and hours and wanted to bring this here. Hopefully anybody now coming here will see this thread and think more than twice.
@VEGASDerek
Also from my side - thank you for the open statement.
Unfortunately, it is an issue that will never be satisfactorily resolved.