Well, it looks like at least one game publisher is trying to see if the market will support a company that does not treat all of its users like pirates.

"As game developers, we are intimately familiar with software piracy," said Brad Wardell, President & CEO of Stardock. "Over the years, we have concluded that the best way to combat piracy is to reward your customers with greater value. Our system makes it more convenient to play by the rules than to pirate the games."

I must say I hope they make a killing. I will definitely check out their games, and if I like any, I will buy them - a company that actually considers the consumer's needs and does not go for pain in the a** copy protection schemes deserves my support.

I am totally for gaming companies making money from their software, however copy protection schemes that mandate long security keys and intrusive on-line registration are a pain. As for the CD's/DVD's in non-standard formats for copy protection purposes... one accidental scratch, and if you are lucky you have to mail in for a replacement. The fact is that regardless of the copy protection scheme, warez sites will have new games on them shortly after (and sometimes before) release; so copy protection mostly just annoys legitimate users.

Apparently you can buy their titles for $5-$50, or buy a membership for their network and get them at discounted prices.