So I want to express this thing I have been thinking on for some time.
HOW TO MAKE A GOOD DRM:1. Make a Good Thing that will demonstrate an abundance of worth to the person who uses it.
2. Program into it a means of detecting whether the copy is legitimate, but take NO ACTION if it is not.
3. After a period of time or event where it can be ascertained that the Good Thing has demonstrated its value, make an appeal to users of illegitimate copies. Explain that the Good Thing came from a Real Person who Worked Hard to make it and hopes you like it enough to justify its monetary cost.
4. Offer to let the person pay for the Good Thing. Do not take it away from them if they do not. Making further appeals only with great care; do not harass the user to the point where you detract value from the Thing.
Why is this a "Good DRM"?- The "DRM" in question is extremely unlikely to be removed, given it poses zero restrictions and non-casual pirates (crackers, notably) tend to be believers in paying for things which have demonstrated their worth.
- By no means will all pirate users purchase the software, but some of them will. Again, your case rests on demonstrating the value of your Thing, making a case that it's worth paying for, and making that easy to do.
- There is a chance that users who would not have purchased your Thing conventionally (the so-called "non-lost sales") may become paying customers, by virtue of imposing a conversion rate on pirate users. It's not inconceivable that this could offset the "costs" of piracy.
Model citizen: