Been reading this site for a while and finally felt the need to sign up and post.

So it looks like URC's CCP software is being freely distributed at a site online (not linking because I don't want to send traffic to those jerks) and nothing has been done about this. I am not a URC dealer but I do work in the AV business and it is pretty disappointing to see that the company isn't doing more to prevent this from happening.

I have been interested in becoming a URC dealer soon but what's the point if anyone can buy a remote on eBay and get a free download included?!? Why should I even bother with going through the entire URC training and learning their line if I am never going to have a real opportunity to sell it??

I sent an email to URC also last week notifying them about this and received no response from them. Do they even care??

How do the rest of you URC guys deal with people just trying to price-match with eBay and the other sites online?

Sorry if this comes off as really negative, but the issue just upsets me. I don't understand why URC isn't more pro-active in stopping this crap.

EDIT: Removed the name of the site.

They know, they are working on it. They can't just send hired muscle over. It all goes through lawyers and can take time.

 I dont understand why there are so many illegal music file sharing sites.  The music industry should be more proactive in stopping illegal file sharing...oh wait...they are...

There is probably very little they can do now that the cat is out of the bag. The site in question isn't even hosting the software, only linking to a different site. That second site (The Pirate Bay) is also technically not hosting the file but rather is providing information that a person can use with a separate program to connect to the places where the actual file is being shared.

Since Pirate Bay is hosted overseas (Sweden) and they don't accept American copyright laws there, they are not going to remove the link no matter what URC's legal team threatens them with.

The RIAA, MPAA, Microsoft, Apple and a bunch of other companies have tried to have their copyrighted material removed from the Pirate Bay and they have never removed a single item. If Microsoft can't get pirated copies of Windows removed, unfortunately URC is not going to get their software removed.

I don't agree with the way this works and I'm not a lawyer but it seems that the Internet is still a bit of a legal wild wild West.

I'm also not a URC dealer or a CI but not sure if you really are going to lose much business from this software being online. If someone is capable of buying the remote on eBay and programming it themselves, you probably don't want them as a customer anyways, right?

Actually, there is a solution for everything. When it comes to getting the products off the internet, there are ways that I am well aware of. I would gladly help them as a consultant. Unfortunately, I can't afford to give my time and knowledge away for free.

Software piracy is also something that can be dealt with. It's really not that difficult, but it costs money (and resources) to implement, in order to keep brands/lines/dealers protected.

I'm still a fan of their products and use them on many installs!



Damon

So what affiliation do you have with the website you have listed here? Are you the owner? I suggest this thread be closed and deleted.

Hey, thanks for the warm welcome. For the record I have absolutely zero affiliation with the site. This is why I did not link to the site as I do not want them to get any traffic.

If the moderator or admin wants to edit my post that is fine by me.

My issue, which you seem to be wanting to distract the discussion from, is that URC could be more pro-active about this kind of stuff. Now trying to get rid of this site or the numerous eBay listings that are popping up every day is just being reactionary and doesn't actually solve the issue at hand.

Why can't URC make two versions of software -- one that allows programming (dealer version) and one that only allows a customer to load a new programmed file onto their remote.

The dealer version would have a login/password required and the consumer one would be a free for all. Dealers would no longer have to roll the truck out every time a customer wants a small programming change made -- instead they could just program at their office and email the file to the client who could load it onto their remote. Obviously this wouldn't be a complete solution but it seems that it would go a long way in helping dealers, their customers, and also protecting the software from just being released out in the public.

Is adding a username and password to CCP really something that requires a ton of programming man hours?

My point in my original post was, and still is, that URC needs to be more pro-active about these issues instead of just trying to fix them afterwards.

You realize you can also make reference to the site, without posting any address at all, yes? I hadn't caught the reference in your post. For posting the domain name, you are not only enabling that site, but you have made yourself part of the problem, as a result.

If you edit your post and remove the domain name and any reference to it, this community might take you more seriously.



Damon

A fair point. I was always willing to have any staff edit my post to remove it because I did not know I was able to edit posts. I have now removed all reference to the site entirely.

I hope this discussion about how URC can improve their software solution can continue now.

Thanks.

If your business is built around selling URC remotes, you're in for a tough road. They're nice add-ons when desired, but your business needs to be built around a more profitable product line that takes steps against letting things like this happen. Such as RTI, Crestron, Elan, etc.

I once seen RTI stuff available online. I think they have free stuff like URC does floating around.

Perhaps on these pricey remotes the software should come with them.

Perhaps you should purchase them through the proper channels and not try to surpass this and get them on the grey market.

I don't think the problem is exclusive to URC ... I am sure RTI and others also have to deal with these issues but it just seems that URC is more complacent about it. A guy I know who has worked with URC for at least 10 years in the business has said that these issues are nothing new and have constantly plagued URC's professional line.

My question to those of you who do quite a bit of URC business -- would having password protection on the software be something that would help you or not really make a difference?

A little disappointed that URC chose to ignore my email to them...not sure if they are just pretending the site does not exist or they just have no real recourse to it as someone else in this thread posted.

cgav, your point about choosing a product line that takes steps to prevent these kind of things from happening is dead on. I have really looked into selling URC because for the clients I deal with, it is something that I think would fit well with their setup but I am just trying to see if we can't get URC to also start taking steps to prevent these issues.

Thanks for listening.

Who are your clients? I have been selling URC for years without an issue. I believe maybe one person ever questioned my price, but he questioned every piece, without even having model numbers. My clients hire me to sell them a solution, not a product. In the end, they love the whole system. Yesterday I installed a basic MX780 along with an iPhone license/MRX1. Client LOVED the whole setup, and questioned why have they not replaced their harmony yet (something I've been trying to do for a while).

Point is, clients that price shop everything are not good clients. Not because they are cheap, but because these clients never see the value in you and what you do, only the bottom $$. Sell the solution and the product won't matter.

I agree with all this. Clients concerned with nothing but comparing your estimate line for line against amazon or eBay aren't worth having and in EVERY SINGLE CASE would have been best to cut them loose at that exact point. Now, whenever a customer starts talking about eBay or Amazon prices, I immediately let them know we're probably not the company for them.

Not everyone can afford a Porsche. Kia exists for a reason. My company is a Porsche. If you want to pinch pennies, check out craigslist for a Kia. My time is worth more than that.