Paradox (warez)

PARADOX

Years active	1989–present
Category	quality deprotections / demo
Founder(s)	Bad Boy BlackHawk Olivier Stinger (Exit) Clash Evilgood
Website(s)	www.paradogs.com (via Internet Archive)

PARADOX (PDX) is a warez–demo group; an anonymous group of software engineers that devise ways to defeat software and video game licensing protections, a process known as cracking, which is illegal in most jurisdictions. They distribute cracks (software patches), keygens (key generators), and pre-cracked versions of entire programs. Over the years, distribution methods have changed, starting out with physically transported floppy disks and BBS distribution. With the expansion of the Internet they moved on to Usenet. Today most of their files reach the public over various peer-to-peer file networks.

Paradox was originally formed in late 1989 by members of the Danish group Trilogy (Bad Boy, Black Hawk, Tas, Pcsu, QRD) and the French group M.A.D (Olivier, Stinger, The Surge, Clash, Tagada). They began by cracking Amiga software. The group died in 1991 when the most active members joined Quartex. It was reborn under the leadership of 'Maximilien' in 1993, with ex-Quartex members Black Hawk and Paragon as co-founders. Then it moved in to the Sega Genesis and SNES console scenes. They started cracking PC software in 1994. In 2001, they released their last cracked game for The PSone, and it was the popular video game Final Fantasy IX. In 2002, the team recruited computer black hat Evilgood, who is alleged^{[by whom?]} to be one of the most qualified crackers of the time. His identity is still unknown. They have cracked games for other consoles and hand-held devices like the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, and Xbox.^[1]

Paradox has been noted to crack challenging dongle protections on many debugging and software development programs. Most recently, the team successfully found a method of bypassing activation in Windows Vista.^[2] This was accomplished by emulating an OEM machine's BIOS-embedded licensing information and installing an OEM license.^[3] However, with Windows Vista Service Pack 1, this crack no longer works correctly. Paradox confirm they are working on Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7.^[4] Paradox was first to release SLIC 2.1 details & working crack for Windows 7.^[5]

KeyGen graphical interface and design

PARADOX keygens are known for their aesthetically pleasing designs. Often these GUIs include impressive transparencies and override the Windows Minimize, Maximize, Close button bar at the top of all windows applications. They are also known for adding futuristic music reminiscent of chiptunes to most of their key generators.

Some Keygen screenshots can be seen in the website of PARADOX graphic designer 'Alien' .^[6]

Demoparty awards

• First place in the Wild Compo category at Euskal 2001^[7]
• First place in the Amiga 64 category at Saturne 1994^[8]
• First place at Alcatraz Pentcost 1990^[9]

Raids and arrests

One of their members going by the alias 'Rokman' was arrested in 1990 for using stolen credit card numbers to make $1 million in long distance calls to other Paradox members for the purpose of file transfers.^[10] Nearly all Quartex members in France, including Olivier, Clash and Tagada, were busted in 1991 in the Blue Box affair. Maximilien was arrested in the Nintendo copiers affair in 1993^[11] and was held in preventive custody for three weeks before fleeing to Spain. Less than one year later, in 1994, the CIA caught him while on trip to Washington in a vast calling card fraud affair.^[12] He was sentenced to 5 years and 7 months by a US court. Another of their members, alias 'tyson', was raided in 2001 as part of Operation Buccaneer.^[13]

See also

• List of warez groups

References

1. ^ Paradox releases first warez for Wii
2. ^ Article covering crack of Windows Vista
3. ^ Bannan, James (4 March 2007). "It's official: Pirates crack Vista at last". APC Magazine. http://apcstart.com/5512/pirate_crack_vista_oem_activation. Retrieved 2007-03-04. 
4. ^ http://keznews.com/5968_Windows_7_RTM_7600_x86_and_x64_activator_-_time_crack
5. ^ http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/07/29/windows-7-ultimate-cracked-and-activated-permanently-with-oem-slp-master-product-key-with-slic-2-1/
6. ^ :: Alien Paradox ::
7. ^ EUSKAL 9
8. ^ results Saturne 94
9. ^ Alcatraz Pentcost 1990
10. ^ Paradox member arrested in New York State - archived version of 1990 Washington Post article
11. ^ Super Mario and the Pirates - Article in French published in 1995 by Le Nouvel Observateur
12. ^ The ring leader - Article of Business North Carolina, April 1997, Max Louarn quoted on p.12 and p.16
13. ^ http://parazite.greatnow.com/scenebusts72.htm

• Online Version of the book "Copyright Does Not Exist", by Linus Walleij that mentions PARADOX as a significant member of the demo scene.

External links

• Official Website - Paradogs.com (DOWN) archived version via Wayback Machine
• Official Community - Sceneboard.Paradogs.com (DOWN)
• An archive of Paradox demos at Pouet
• List of over 150 PARADOX releases
• Official PARADOX mirror list
• Their music