Even though that warning may not be posted on their web site, it seems reasonable to me that a company may have a minimum charge (in your case, $100.00) to recoup the time necessary to redistribute any part of their product. After all, time is money, and their time is no exception. And as for your argument that “no one told you it was important”, anyone in this industry (in your case – 20 years???) knows it’s important to keep copies of serial numbers, key numbers, and software.
Too bad you didn't make a backup of that floppy. You should have known better.
And consider this, you're spending a lot of time posting messages and emailing people. If you took that time and spent it productively instead of in a vengeful manner, you'd make that hundred bucks back many times over. And something else to consider, I’m not a lawyer, but the term slander comes to mind when it comes to adversely affecting one’s profit. What you contend may or may not be true, but their lawyers could have a field day establishing some sort of slander case against you. Even if you feel justified, how much more would it cost you to defend yourself in such a case?
Time is money - but in your case it's costing you money because of the unproductive use of your time.
My advice to you is this: be careful with your words and actions, and consider how to best prioritize your time.
Maxwell
