Software Piracy: An Analysis of Protection Strategies
分析软件盗版的影响，发现即使存在大量盗版，不采取保护措施有时反而能提高企业利润并降低售价，关键在于盗版增加用户数带来的正网络外部性。
Software piracy by users is generally believed to harm both software firms (through lower profits) and buying customers (through higher prices). Thus, it is thought that perfect and costless technological protection would benefit both firms and consumers. The model developed here suggests that in some circumstances, even with significant piracy, not protecting can be the best policy, both raising firm profits and lowering selling prices. Key to the analysis is joining the presence of a positive network externality with the fact that piracy increases the total number of program users. The network externality exists because consumers have an incentive to economize on post-purchase learning and customization costs.