[wp-forums] Comment about [sticky] Posts requests for theme decoding in here

[Mark Duncan]

It's quite possible some users do stumble onto these sites thinking 
they've found a safe, reliable or good source..

Sure some users do it knowingly (heck i've done it just to get a look at 
the dodgy code).

I do however totally agree, as long as members continue to decode dodgy 
versions of premuim themes we are in essence providing a means for users 
to get their hands on premium themes for free (circumventing the 
intended license in some cases).

Do note, these themes are usually at least a couple of versions off 
anyway, so by the time they reach the torrent sites they're already 
outdated, running older functions, or using older theme code.

If you want my opinion, i personally don't think any theme decryption 
should be allowed on the forum, because as i'm sure i've said before, it 
side steps the issue of users obtaining themes from very unreliable and 
potentially harmful sources.

However, if i remember correctly, someone did previously point out, that 
even if we stop allowing such posts, it won't necessary stop them 
getting posted as often as they do.

I'd like to rehash the discussion, even though i have myself decrypted 
code for users, i really have to look at the bigger picture here, and 
the bigger picture being that as long as we keep decrypting, users will 
keep using those dodgy sites as a source for their themes.

----

To chuck an idea in, if we were to say no more decryption threads 
(hypothetically speaking).

New sticky in theme forum with a short message regarding themes and 
sources for themes (links to trusted sites other than the repo) and a 
further note regarding encrypted themes and the risks, and why they are 
no longer supported(or allowed) in the forums.

----

Mark / t31os

Chris Olbekson wrote:
> I understand how this thread:
> http://wordpress.org/support/topic/388507?replies=108 is very helpful
> to users by protecting them from all the spam links and what not but
> it is also encouraging the use of pirated themes.  Most of the decode
> requests I went through were from premium themes that are posted all
> over torrent and download sites.  Some of the themes are GPL so I
> guess they have the right to do whatever they want with the them, but
> some of the decode requests are for code from non GPL copyrighted
> themes.  The users of these pirate and warez download sites don't just
> happen to stumble on them.  There are some who seek them out and even
> make requests for them then we go and sanitize the theme for them and
> they get to use a $70 or $80 premium theme for free.
> I also understand that we might not even be able to tell what the
> original theme was by only seeing a small portion of the code so that
> is another issue.  But bottom line we can be fairly certain that the
> theme either came from the repository and got modified or it was
> ripped off from a theme company.
> 
> --Chris Olbekson
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