The backlash over DRM has finally started to gather serious momentum.

Everyday consumers started a campaign to give the highly anticipated game Spore one-star ratings on Amazon. Thousands of Amazon users labeled Spore a poor choice because of the SecuROM DRM system that is forced onto PC users machines that purchase the game. EA has backpedaled a bit and eased the restrictions on the number of installs per machine. They have even made a verbal (but unenforceable) promise to disable the DRM system by patch should they ever end of life the product.

But so far EA refuses to give in to consumer demand that they simply get rid of the DRM system. They hold on to the claim that DRM helps reduce piracy. Yet 30 seconds of searching on a popular torrent site shows not only Spore but a cracked copy that totally removes all DRM from the game.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=1969

I stopped buying new games solely because of DRM and other copywrite "protection." Which when I pirated video games (years ago) it was really easy to bypass, so when I started making enough money to pay for the games, DRM was nothing more than a major annoyance and often wouldn't let me play the game I paid $50 for. For example, I had to use a no CD crack to play Crysis that I paid $50 for because of copywrite protection.

But anyway, the death of DRM will be a major step in the right direction.

imo, most people will pay $$ to support the stuff they like. Some won't, but enough will...

I'm not keen on copy protection that extends onto a person's machine. And as others have said, I have had to use a 'no-cd' crack on a few games when I upgraded the machine or OS...

ya think that 1 star rating might be because there really isnt much to do as far as a game with Spore?
yay - ya make a crazy looking lifeform. yay. no what?
maybe some challenges, or battles? sports? something?

ooooo its wiggly
ooooo its got lotsa legs
ooooo look what colors I picked......

somehow, I think gummy bears are more entertaining

It won't kill DRM. DRM has been around for many years in many forms and mostly has only gotten worse.

1. DRM makers can't ever admit for one second that their products simply do not work. Nearly all of these products are gross frauds on multiple levels. Every DRM product has been broken. Even much of Blueray "winning" the format war was related to DRM issues.
2. EA, Sony, Microsoft, Apple, and others have continued with DRM in spite of bad press and multiple law suites. Many of what are about the same as the new suite(s) over Spore's use of SecureROM.
3. DRM is THE major factor in why there are so many problems, especially with video and sound drivers, in WinVista. DRM compliance is just about #1 on the list of things required to get a WHQL seal on a driver. It applies to ALL Vista drivers. It is why MS is so hell bent to block unsigned drivers in Vista. These problems will not go away in Win7 because Win7 is nothing but an "update" to Vista and retains all the DRM.

------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave (It's also at the top of every forum page...)

Ogre.. and others..



FYI I work for the company that is EA and others commerce engine..

Yes, we're fighting hard to get EA and other publishers to ditch DRM.
I cant give any solid news, but lets just say it looks good for the anti DRM crowd.

PS.. we're a publisher/maker of DRM, and it has it's uses, but as noted.. not on games or other full software products.

(edit to add) ya.. we also have taken over most of Microsoft's online sales as well.. They are a sticky bunch.. but we're working on them as well..
In the end it's all about the bottom dollar.. are you losing sales because of this?
Like others have noticed, most of this stuff is cracked almost before release date.. Honest people will buy the game/software etc.. Just don't force DRM onto them and they don't feel like you're intruding on them..
Most software is fairly well embeded anyways if it has auto updates and the like.

[This message has been edited by Uaana (edited 09-25-2008).]

Uaana,

I'm sure you know Vista DRM goes way beyond copying the OS from one machine/disk to another. The entire OS is broken by the HDCP and other DRM that MS sold everyone out to MPAA members on.

HDCP and the rest of it inside Vista is why Nvidia and AMD/ATI both have had massive driver problems. This "system" within the OS is 100% there to comply with the DRM used in products like HD-DVD and Blueray disks along with related downloads. HDCP requires encryption from disk to screen. These encrypted signals cause all kinds of hell.

Vista also complies with the "Broadcast Flag" specification pedaled by TV networks but fought by every other tech company. Vista was the only product to refuse the record certain programs with "erroneously set" flags a number of months ago. Tech companies won a significant ruling Against the FCC when that agency tried to force Broadcast Flag support into their products. However the BF is not dead. It is a regular chip in many conversations on Capitol Hill. People like Joe Biden have a long record of supporting Broadcast Flag and other Big Media DRM demands.

[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 09-25-2008).]

Ogre,

Yes.. fully aware..
As for MS what we sell currently is Money, Encarta, Office .. we're not into the OS market yet

Yes, we're pushing heavy to get the supporting programs to ditch DRM, as for OS.. we don't have that yet.. and MS is very sticky about even their sub products.

Our DRM/Armidillo etc are pretty much dead.. just hard to bring "old school" into the current marketplace.

As on over the road truck driver, I have a pc with a dvd drive I use to watch moives, imagine my anger when I pay for a movie and the copy protection doesn't like my USB dvd drive. I am unable to watch some movies I legally buy. That is why it has to end.

quote Originally posted by Pyrthian: ya think that 1 star rating might be because there really isnt much to do as far as a game with Spore? yay - ya make a crazy looking lifeform. yay. no what? maybe some challenges, or battles? sports? something? ooooo its wiggly ooooo its got lotsa legs ooooo look what colors I picked...... somehow, I think gummy bears are more entertaining

It sounds like you are just describing the beginning of the game... from what I hearm it's a lot more intense then that, and there's some deeper 'quest' you gan go on once you leave the plenet...

Buit I DO 'hear' what you're typing... my exposure to the game was just the early stage...

I regularly hunt down and use the no-cd patches for all the games I own, enev though I paid for them. I may actually need to reinstall any given game sooner or later, and it's nice if I haven't scratched the disk up handling it everytime I play the game. It's never been difficult to find a patch to get around the damn DRM.

But then again, I haven't bought a new game in years now...