software germany
Is telling others how to crack software illegal?
<p>There's this program from a few years ago that isn't being sold anymore, and there's a simple way to extend the free trial forever by changing the expiration date in a text file.</p>
<p>I was wondering if it would be problematic to write and publish a guide on my website detailing how to use this exploit, since I am not distributing anything.</p>

<ol>
<li>You are granted the free trial as part of a <em>trial</em>, not to permanently use the program.
When the user downloaded the trial version of the program, he probably had to accept T&amp;C granting a <em>one-time</em> <em>only</em> say 3‑month trial period.
It is a mere <strong>breach of contract</strong> if you’re circumventing this, but you might still be liable to <strong>damages</strong>.</li>
<li>Circumventing technological protection measures is forbidden, <a href="https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_urhg/englisch_urhg.html#p0723" rel="nofollow noreferrer">§ 95a UrhG</a>.
However, these protection measures must be considered <em>effective</em>.
Now, lawyers are usually no computer gurus, so they might arrive at completely different conclusions, but I guess/hope editing a plain text file, substituting a plaintext ISO 8601 date, will not be deemed “effective”.
(I presume the same effect could be achieved by resetting the computer’s RTC.)<br/>
Having said that, since you intend to “publish a <em>guide</em> […] <em>detailing</em> how to use this exploit” I suspect it might not be that trivial and thus, from a lawyer’s POV, be considered an “effective” technological protection measure.</li>
<li><em>If</em> it is considered an effective technological protection measure, you might be <strong>punishable</strong> via <a href="https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_urhg/englisch_urhg.html#p0866" rel="nofollow noreferrer">§ 108b UrhG</a>, but I’m not sure about that.
The wording is terribly complex.</li>
</ol>
