EA DRM Lawsuit Count Increases 200%
Posted 11/10/08 at 09:09:12 PM by Nathan Grayson
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And you thought only one person on the entire planet was well and truly pissed at EA for its repeated usage of DRM. However, that was only the beginning. Now, two more criminally dissatisfied customers have rallied their lawyers, hoping to pulverize the mega-publisher's pocketbook into penniless mush.
The first suit, filed by Pennsylvania resident Richard Eldridge, points the all-important blame finger at the Spore Creature Creator trial -- not the full game. According to the suit, the game "secretly" popped his machine's DRM cherry, a feature completely unmentioned in EA's End User License Agreement.
The other DRM-detractor, Dianna Cortez of Missouri, encountered SecuROM DRM in The Sims 2: Bon Voyage. Her computer was never the same after that day.
"After installing Bon Voyage, Ms. Cortez began having problems with her computer," reads the suit. "She had previously made backup Sims 2 game content on CDs, but her computer's disc drive would no longer recognize that content, reporting the CDs as empty. She could not access files that were saved on her USB flash drive or iPod, either."
She also calls EA's practices "immoral, unethical, oppressive [and] unscrupulous" -- a sentiment with which we're sure her fellow lawsuit-slingers would agree.
Now if the entire 0.2% hopped aboard the lawsuit express, we might be onto something. As is, however, EA's gold-encrusted big toe will be more than enough to squash these three valiant musketeers. If nothing else, we can only hope that EA will actually learn something from all this, but we're not counting on it.
I don't know why they don't
Submitted by Wildebeast on Tue, 11/11/2008 - 10:03am
I don't know why they don't just keep track of un-installations. [Can you hear me, Microsoft???]
They already have registration built into the installation package --it seems a logical extension, to me.
DRM is all about pointing the finger at people over piracy. I absolutely love that the publishers are being sued now. It's "a taste of their own medicine."
I seriously wonder how many copies true pirates crank out, for every legal copy that gives it's owner problems on their computer.
I agree with Quinn Norton in the Holiday issue... they are driving customers to piracy, because it's easier & just works better.
Ideally it would work that
Submitted by jcollins on Tue, 11/11/2008 - 11:22am
Ideally it would work that way. The reality is that there are a of lot of different DRM's, all with various versions, some of which may or may not track the number of installations correctly. You uninstall and kill some other game/software, you get blamed and have to deal with tech support. You don't uninstall, you don't get blamed and have to deal with customer support.
I think we may have a
Submitted by Darth Ninja on Tue, 11/11/2008 - 1:49am
I think we may have a spam-robot on here ^
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If you have a problem with
Submitted by Digital-Storm on Tue, 11/11/2008 - 12:45am
If you have a problem with the way they practice protecting there own software, make your own software. They do not have to display "Has DRM." It is their software to do as they please.
Submitted by DePat on Tue, 11/11/2008 - 7:06am
The consumer has the right to know what he/she is purchasing. The vendor should disclose the effect of its products (this will include the effect of DRM schemes on your computer). If they are not disclosed the vendor practices are deemed unfair and the vendor is subject to lawsuits. By the way, who in his/her right mind will buy a product saying the following:
"By installing this product, you acknowledge that after installing our product, your computer might no longer operate as it does right now. You also acknowledge that your understand that your computer might no longer read and/or write any other multimedia files or any other file you may have on any other medium. As a matter of fact, with time, your computer might not even read and write the specific product you just purchased from us. You agreed to hold us harmless from any or all problems the installation of our product creates. Good Luck"
Who knows? maybe you will.
DePat
You couldn't be more
Submitted by Tekzel on Tue, 11/11/2008 - 6:02am
You couldn't be more wrong. They are allowed to put whatever they want in the program, since it is their software, but they MUST disclose stuff like that to the consumer. If I buy a program, I have a right to be fully informed as to what that program does to my computer. When that program installs malware, as all EA games apparently do, I have a right to know so I can choose to not buy it. As I do.
Actually they do have to
Submitted by Keith E. Whisman on Tue, 11/11/2008 - 5:21am
Actually they do have to inform you of potentially harmful software they install with their games. As I said I lost two dvd burners. It was StarForce. So they do have to let you know of software that installs with their games and stays resident even after the game is uninstalled. They are pretty much installing a virus in your computer. It's made ok if you are given notice of this in the Eula and can decide not to install the companies game/App but if it aint listed in the eula and you are not warned of it it is not unual to expect to be able to uninstall a companies software but if that company installs software that can't be uninstalled and is seperate from it's app or game then it's a virus. I say go ahead and sue. Hopefully a legal precident can be made and studios held liable.
Submitted by Keith E. Whisman on Tue, 11/11/2008 - 12:38am
Hey I lost two dvd burners to StarForce so yes DRM sucks buck twinkies.
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Submitted by strykyr on Tue, 11/11/2008 - 3:09am
I quit playin SRO cuz of these things
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