...I've been watching the debates regarding QA3's server key validation because Duke Nukem Forever will likely use some form of copy protection too. Software theft (mostly casual theft, such a making a copy for a friend, family member, or co-worker) has become such a huge problem that developers and publishers can no longer release games without protection of some sort. Hit games used to sell many more copies than they do nowadays, and a good part of the dramatic drop must be due to the proliferation of CD-ROM burners.