Comment Number: 539814-00533
Received: 1/12/2009 2:11:52 AM
Organization:
Commenter: Reyna Perucca
State: CO
Agency: Federal Trade Commission
Rule: FTC Town Hall to Address Digital Rights Management Technologies - Event Takes Place Wednesday, March 25, 2009, in Seattle
Attachments:
Comments:

I believe that DRM in all forms is wrong. No company has the right to put an invasive, spy-ware of malware on their product. I was a loyal costumer of The Sims 2 series made by Maxis and then Electronic Arts. In 2007 when they became using the DRM SecuRom, they did it to "stop piracy." Instead, they caused honest consumers like myself to lose all faith in their company. Instead of playing the four games I purchased and paid over $100.00 for, they now sit on a shelf gathering dust. SecuRom damaged the DVD drive on my $1500.00 PC because it considered it a "threat." I was unable to launch the very program this DRM was installed to protect. It also established itself as the administrator of my PC and I had to complete a full system restore to remove SecuRom, as it used hidden registry keys. DRM does not protect against piracy. The game SPORE by Electronic Arts included the the DRM SecuRom 7, and SPORE was the most pirated game of 2008, despite being released in September. SecuRom 7 requires a limited number of "access" keys to ensure the game is not installed illegally by non-consumers. It takes a "snapshot" of the computer the moment it installs itself. If a person adds memory, buys a new graphics card, or even buys a whole new computer, or does anything to change that "snapshot," SecuRom uses a key. Once all of the keys are used up, the consumer needs to purchase a new game. The idea that these DRMs are to protect against piracy is a joke. The truth is, these DRMs are to ensure that one person doesn't buy one game/music and keep/play it forever. Instead, it forces the consumer to buy multiples of the same product. Basically, it changes "purchasing" into "renting." Lastly, DRMs that require an internet connection for activation of the product ensure the company can break privacy laws. They know what type of computer every consumer has. The DRM acts as spyware and sends information about programs, personal information, and leaves the computer open to treats of viruses, hacking, and identity theft. Non-online games should not require online connection. Also, dynamic adds through DRM should not be allowed. Please, please make DRM illegal. There are much better ways to combat piracy that do not damage the consumer. DRM does not damage the pirates. They do not go to the store and buy a game or pay for music. They know how to hack and steal the product without ever purchasing a copy. The only people who are hurt by this are the honest people. We are not pirates, we pay our hard earned money for the things we enjoy. Please protect us from these corporations that want to turn the things we enjoy into the things we hate. Thank you for listening.