DRM Makes Pirates of Us All

[Lemur]

Fascinating report on a new study showing that DRM enrages everyone to the point where law-abiding consumers will consider (and commit) acts of piracy to avoid it. This does not surprise me.

According to the first empirical study of its kind in the UK, by Cambridge law professor Patricia Akester, it's the former. DRM is so rage-inducing, even to ordinary, legal users of content, that it can even drive the blind to download illegal electronic Bibles. [...]

The study confirms what anyone who has ever wanted to rip a DVD to their computer or iPod could have told you: DRM, coupled with anticircumvention laws, makes pirates of us all.

Akester offers some possible solutions to the problem. They are worth reading, but they are also unlikely to be implemented for years. In the meantime, copyright exceptions for the blind, libraries, teachers, and for fair use will continue to be limited by a crafty mixture of code and law.

Of course, as Bright points out, the massive lobbying, legislative, legal, and technical effort that underlies all these DRM regimes does so little to stop piracy that we'd be tempted to laugh at the folly of it all if we weren't already weeping.

[Beskar]

I agree with Lemur. If you really want to stop piracy, have a system like Steam or measures that allow law-bidding users to get the product and even put it on multiple machines they might use as well.

They make too many demands to get you to fork out more money, but not enough compromises. There are games for example that are simply not worth the money they are charging and should actually price it in relation to work that is required and standard demanded.

[rory_20_uk]

Steam? Ugh. The trend for games to force downloads of patches is growing, as is the number of patches that breaks more than it fixes (especially for those of us who view the game as buying the engine and spend more time playing mods).

[Hooahguy]

what they should do is a steam-like program that needs your permission to download patches.

[Beskar]

Patches can be turned off. So the point isn't really a point.

The benefits however are a DRM-free system (other than Steam itself) where you can get all your updates, download games onto any computer without the need of disks and all sorts features and benefits. If all other games used the platform as well, it would really encourage the growth of legitimate gaming.

Compared with other DRM such as EA's DRM system they forced everyone to comply with, with Spore, where you could only install the game 3 times then it no longer worked. Filled your computer full of spyware and other programmes that couldn't even connect to the internet through a proxy, so the game doesn't even work in the first place. The list goes on.

[rory_20_uk]

I like disks. I don't need an internet connection. I can reinstall inside of a day as its on DVD. I don't need my HDD containing every game I might play as I have a DVD folder. I often burn mods I like onto DVDs to store with them in case I can't get them again.

I like the idea that once one has downloaded additions a torrent client distributes it to others to take load off the servers as well as get hold of older content. But when I get it I want control of how I store it.

Right up there with the fact backup DVD movies play the movies right away, whereas the originals faff for ages with intros, warnings, disclaimers and other drivel.

[Xiahou]

I like disks. I don't need an internet connection. I can reinstall inside of a day as its on DVD. I don't need my HDD containing every game I might play as I have a DVD folder. I often burn mods I like onto DVDs to store with them in case I can't get them again.

That is definitely my preferred way of getting a game.

The benefits however are a DRM-free system (other than Steam itself)

Steam is DRM.