I’m going to go way out on a limb here, my guess is that if you’re reading this, it’s because the name StarForce caught your eye. I’m also going to make the bold prediction that if you recognize the name StarForce, it has negative connotations. If your computer had a run in with StarForce copy protection chances are you’re not a big fan of the Russian made copy-protection software.

For those of you who have only heard of StarForce by reputation and aren’t really sure what all the fuss is about, here’s the scoop. In 2006 there was a public outcry when several users as well as a few very credible websites began having issues with the aggressive nature of StarForce’s software. Some even went as far as to suggest that it damaged their PC’s CD/DVD writers. While this was clearly unacceptable to consumers the real debacle started with the public relations nightmare they created for themselves.

In a move that still makes me shake my head StarForce threatened to sue popular tech blog boingboing.net, and in an attempt to demonstrate the importance of copy protection a company representative posted links to sites offering pirated versions of Galactic Civilizations II for download. The aggressive nature of their software certainly didn’t endear them to gamers, but the aggressive nature of their customer service and PR people made the possibility of North American gamers accepting their product disappear completely.

Or so we thought, apparently StarForce is back in town and looking to keep your PC free and clear of any pirated software. Dmitry Guseff, Deputy Marketing Director at StarForce Technologies sat down with gamasutra and gave them an interesting view of his company as they prepare themselves for a new foray into North America. The interview which can be seen in its entirety at gamasutra.com is more interesting than I expected it to be. Guseff reveals some things about the company that you probably didn’t know and talks a great deal about how cultural differences made the problems StarForce experienced in North America much worse than they should have been. I have mixed thoughts on piracy and copy protection, but no matter where you weigh in on the subject you’ll want to check out what the folks at StarForce have to say. Here’s a link to gamasutra and the interview