I know this thread is a little old but I just found it.

I'd like to add a data point to the discussion. Not everyone who is seeking help with obtaining the software is someone who purchased their remote on eBay or Amazon or some other place online.

I purchased my remote from a URC authorized dealer and was left very dissatisfied by the programming job done by the professional. I was charged a little over $300 for programming my URC remote and the pro left my home without thoroughly testing all aspects of the programming. At that time I wasn't very familiar with how the remote worked and he was also doing some other work at my home so in the hustle and bustle I didn't get a chance to verify the functionality of the programming.

After realizing that certain devices don't even turn off properly when hitting Off and that I couldn't do something as simple as change the channel on the DVR, I had to call him later that same day asking him to come back and fix the issues. He was booked for the rest of the day and instead said he'd try to get the issues fixed at his shop with the programming and then try again.

The second time he was available to come my wife was the only one at home. I really wanted to schedule a time for him to come by when I could be there but his schedule had very little free slots open so he came by for about half an hour when I wasn't there and attempted to fix the issues. When I looked at the remote later that day, some of the issues were fixed but new ones had been created. The channels were changing properly and the TV was turning off, but now it was no longer switching inputs and the CD player was not turning on.

At this point I told him about the new issues and he told me that he wasn't able to keep coming out there (I'm about 40 miles round-trip away from his shop) and that I was welcome to bring the remote in and he could work on re-programming it in his shop with similar equipment that he had available there. I went ahead and did this once but the issue was that he had similar equipment but not identical equipment and some problems continued to persist when I'd take it back home.

After so much frustration with the pro guy in my area, I finally asked him to reconsider supplying me with the software so that I could just learn how to do it and fix it myself. Initially he had said he isn't allowed to provide the CCP software but after all that back and forth, he quickly provided his URC login details so that I could download it.

Sorry for the long read, just wanted to say that not everyone wanting the software is someone buying from an unauthorized source. And not all professionals trained by URC know (or even care) enough to do a good job.

If we were to generalize, do most professionals know more than most DIYers on how to program the remote? Of course they do. They have the training and most importantly, the real world experience.

But that doesn't mean the skill set is exclusive to only those who go through URC's training or that the learning curve is far too steep for anyone else.