Tom was the first of a few to send in this account from the developer of the iPhone game iCombat on his experience with “pirated” versions of the app. Basically, he didn’t try to block them, but put in a way to track authorized vs. unauthorized uses, and at a certain level pushed the unauthorized users to a splash page, asking them to purchase the game. His conclusion? Piracy really isn’t a huge deal, and probably not worth wasting too much time trying to stop:

• The goal behind launching an app isn’t thwarting pirates, it is getting users and generating sales so leave the “making a point” anti-piracy measures to the big guys. The competition is so fierce to get noticed in the App store that any attention is good attention….
• In most cases there is not a direct cannibalization of your sales by people using cracked copies – unless you have a high priced niche app the cost is negligible and the market is not zero sum….
• There is a ton of anger and energy spent thinking about pirates…. this energy should be put into creating better apps and focusing on the top line potential. In my case there are design issues that I should have focused on rather than trying to spoil the pirate’s experience.

This is certainly the same general conclusion we’ve seen in other areas as well. Focusing on “piracy” rather than providing more value for your real customers almost always backfires.

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