Hey guys, I was just wondering what a "Nulled" version of vBulletin is. Is it just like a cracked version or something? Also, is it against the law (or would it cause any issues) to obtain a free copy of vBulletin?
Nulled just means that all callbacks to the company's website are removed from within the code and any necessity of inputting a serial code. In certain cases, nulled may also refer to decoded versions of IonCube released scripts. Ever since vBulletin is taken over by Internet Brands, you should be careful running nulled or unlicensed vBulletin software. Internet Brands protects its copyright well. Law is irrelevant and means nothing without specifying what country you'll be hosting the forum at. It often comes down to how much the hoster you're hosting your forum with cares about your unlicensed vBulletin. If they don't, it is a free pass. If they do care, they may cancel your hosting. Morally, it'd be just to run a legitimate version of course .
Nulled vBulletin's are illegal and if you do see a forum that is running on a Nulled version of vBulletin, go report it at: http://www.vbulletin.com/piracy.php Nulled just means that it is cracked by people who had bought it and is now releasing it to everyone for free.
Not the best idea to be using a pirated version of VB, VB is a large company who would happily slam the iron hammer down on you.
Get an offshore host if you plan on using a pirated vb script and make sure that the "release" is from a well known and trusted team. In offering this advice, I am not condoning the use of nulled scripts.