We had very few Boutique customers who used the free software. Using the designs. Thank you for your interest in EQ products, free downloads, lessons, news, and support! Quiltmaker's Quilting Designs Volume 7.
EQ7, a proprietary off-the-shelf software product marketed to quiltingenthusiasts worldwide and currently available in over 800 retail outlets (aswell as mail order, too!), is secured by Protection PLUS. But that hasn'talways the case. Product Development Manager and 18-year EQ veteran Ann Rutterfrom The Electric Quilt Company recounts the journey this niche softwarecompany has made toward achieving software protection integrity, including theexperience of writing custom scripts and the additional benefits of licensingand copy protection.
It began 18 years ago when a married couple started a home-based businesscombining and leveraging their expertise. A mathematician husband and an artcurator wife proved to be a formidable dynamic duo, creating design softwarefor use by beginning to advanced quilters. Quilters need to design, drawblocks, scan fabric, work with images, print patterns, and calculate yardagerequirements, and EQ makes that process easier, fun, and time-saving. Allowingthe quilter to gain efficiency inspires them to want to create even more. Thelibraries within EQ allow users to quickly gather all the pieces and parts thatthey want to work with, including just the right size quilt templates for ababy, a twin, double, queen- or king-size bed. They can select from a myriad ofdesigns and patterns, or they can use tools to create their own originaldesigns. New features are always being added to EQ software, increasing therange of options for creativity, such as a process allowing quilters to usephotographs to incorporate into their creations. The ability to see the designon screen and make adjustments before beginning the physical work is in itselfa tremendous value for quilters, a group exceeding 2.1 million in the U.S.alone.
The Electric Quilt Company operates with 12 employees, does several milliondollars in annual sales, reaches an international market, and is on its 7thversion of EQ. Early on, the clientele were computer-unsavvy women who didn'tpose much of a piracy threat, which contributed to the company's attitude thatsoftware protection was not a high priority. As the popularity of the Internetgrew, EQ's client base grew, and the need for protection grew painfullyobvious.
It was during the time of the 5th version of EQ that they became aware of atorrent download site offering EQ5 with a serial number for activation (thesimple system employed at the time) for free. Ann recalls the situation: 'Asmall group of us worked really hard on that product and to find it free on theInternet was too much to bear.' Subsequently, they researchedcopy-protection solutions and started using SoftwareKey System Protection PLUSfor the 6th version of EQ because it was a turnkey process that didn't requireany programming on their end.
During our interview Ann discussed the numerous benefits of that decision:
Custom Scripts: The Protection PLUS toolkit was used to write asetup utility which would serve to verify that an end user had a previousversion of EQ, thus indicating their eligibility for the EQ7 upgrade. DuringEQ7 setup, the SoftwareKey Web site is checked to confirm that the previousversion License ID is legitimate, at which point the product CD is engaged togo ahead and install the new software based on the validation that has takenplace. This activation process also includes providing the user with a newLicense ID for the new version they are activating. Concept Software wrotecustom scripts to accomplish this validation spearheaded by Ann: 'It took acouple weeks to do it. Your guys were tremendously easy to work with.'Kudos to Steve, Kevin, and Zach at SoftwareKey!
Ann says that a large part of the challenge for a project like this iscommunication. She was impressed with how she could communicate what theyneeded and have that truly understood and appropriately executed. She statesthat, 'A very, very strong aspect of the company [Concept Software] is thecustomer support which follows the purchase of the product. Getting a realperson on the phone was easy and the expertise I was met with was great.'
Wrapper: Rather than using the available API, it is suitableand super-easy for Ann to simply use the wrapper around the EQ software, 'Thatis just so simple for us to do on our end.'
Activate/Deactivate: Their newest release, EQ7, has the greatprotection they have come to love from Protection PLUS, but this time aroundthey are also taking advantage of remote activation and deactivation featureswhich help when their users need to reload due to reformatting hard drives orother computer issues. This lets The Electric Quilt Company have even greatercontrol of their product.
Protection:They possess an immense sense of relief and confidence knowing that their hardwork into further development of EQ is not being abused in the marketplace. Thefear of theft has been quelled; they feel it is virtually impossible now.Ann believes that their clientele feel good about the protection controls aswell, since it not only protects The Electric Quilt Company from theft but alsoprotects the user's investment of $189.95 from being easily passed around toothers who have not paid for it.
Marketing and Promotions: In advance of product sales, TheElectric Quilt Company purchases License IDs and passwords from ConceptSoftware, which they print on labels and include in their product boxes. Theend-user then has the numbers to activate their new software which occursthrough the SoftwareKey Web site. The EQ end-user registration process providesThe Electric Quilt Company with a contact list which they otherwise would nothave. This list is serving as a great resource to communicate with their marketabout new products, services, or other special offers.
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The experience at The Electric Quilt Company with the SoftwareKey System hasbeen wonderful. Ann Rutter has some straightforward advice to others who needsoftware licensing and protection: 'Use SoftwareKey.'