We often get asked what measures do we employ to protect against the illegal reverse engineering of a project without consent from the owner.  Therefore we have decided to release the following details which explain the standard checks we make to try to protect against this scenario.

1. We obtain the compiled database in question along with details of the customer initiating the conversion.

2. We evaluate the compiled file to ensure suitability and to gather developer contact information from multiple sources, including (but not exclusively);

   1. Forms/Reports (e.g. splash screens, about screens, logos etc)

   2. Summary Information within Access

   3. VBA code (e.g. VBA strings containing 'Please contact support on xxx' or '(c) EverythingAccess.com 2005')

   Please note: this is not an extensive list as we don't particularly wish to expose all the methods we use to identify the owner for obvious reasons.

   If the developer information is not disclosed, is unclear or is ambiguous in any way then we simply refuse the conversion on these grounds.

3. We research the contact information obtained in (2) and the specific application details (application name etc) - the aim being to verify the accuracy of the information and to try to spot any obvious signs of illegal activity.  This research is conducted on the internet and by any other means as appropriate.

4. We verify the customer initiating the conversion is an employee of the "owner" (or the customer is the owner) as described in (2).  Contacting the company/developer involved by telephone using the information obtained in (2) is a common check here.  Also, e-mail addresses are checked for the correct domain names associated with the company/developer involved.

5. We request a signed statement from a director of the company or individual developer (using info obtained in (2)) that clearly the states the reason for the requested MDE conversion, an affirmation certifying legal ownership and granting us permission to reverse engineer the compiled file on your behalf.