DRM News

Archive for January, 2010

Mass Effect 2 DRM/DLC Program

January 23rd, 2010

Cliff Riseborough

Seeing as the game releases in a few days, it seems like time to talk about what DRM the game is going to use.

As shared by Chris Priestly (BioWare Community Coordinator) on their forums :

Digital Rights Management (DRM) – The boxed/retail PC version of Mass Effect 2 will use only a basic disk check and it will not require online authentication. This is the same method as Dragon Age: Origins. Digital versions will use the retailers protection system.

Now, in order for buyers to access the DLC (some will be available at launch), they’ll also need to access the Cerberus Network. That network will be the portal for all DLC for the game. It will be free to any purchasers of a new copy of the game, but any buying it used will need to spend $15 to get on board.

Posted in Games

Tags: BioWare, Cerberus Network, disc check, DLC, EA, Mass Effect 2

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Apple’s tablet & Amazon’s Kindle rumoured to have EA support.

January 22nd, 2010

Brad McGraw

Recently news of Apple’s tablet has been surfacing, and yesterday was no exception. The rumour is that EA is on board to showcase how the tablet will perform with games. We’ll find out Jan 27th with Apple hosting a press conference.

Not to be outdone Amazon has been reporting they have EA working on games for the Kindle as well. How this will work remains to be seen. However they have announced a development kit for what they call ‘active content’.

It seems the ebook battles are heating up and with more than books.

(Update) ars technica has an extremely good article on what is happening and where things are headed.

Amazon has also quietly given control over DRM to Publishers or Authors. A very good move by Amazon. While many Publishers and Authors will still choose to go with DRM, it does seem to have made some independent authors happy.

Posted in Books

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Green Man Gaming – Promises to Allow Trading of Digital Purchases

January 20th, 2010

Cliff Riseborough

Currently, that’s all you will find on their website as it’s under construction.

However, a few details were released on Shacknews regarding how this new entrant to the digital retail universe will operate when it goes live sometime in 2010’s first financial quarter (as it’s currently scheduled to).

London-based digital games retailer, Green Man Gaming, has announced a brand new retail platform that will allow PC gamers to trade in games that they’ve purchased and downloaded digitally. Up to now this has only been possible for purchasers of physical media.

“Previously the minute you had paid and downloaded your game it had no resale value,” said Green Man Gaming COO Gian Luzio. “This is extremely expensive for the gamer and does not encourage the consumer to try new genres or franchises.” The new distribution platform will reportedly assign a monetary value to each digitally purchased game, which gamers will be able to trade-in whenever they wish.

Despite what one would might assume, Green Man Gaming seems committed to making sure that the publishing community will get a significant chunk of profit from the digitally traded games. “We will pay significant royalties to the publisher each time the game is traded in perpetuity,” confirmed Luzio. Of course, with digitally distributed media, traditional problems with trade-ins like physical wear-and-tear are nonexistent, allowing all digital trade-ins to be resold as new.

Of course, few of the important considerations for this digital retailer are known yet. For example…regional restrictions, especially for a company based in England. And beyond that, what sorts of games they will have available. Are we talking about major AA type titles, indie games, casual games, or something else?

Still, worth keeping an eye on. Green Man Gaming claims that it will feature a library of at least 400 games at launch, and over 2000 by the end of the year.

Posted in Games

Tags: digital, Green Man, PC, retail, trading

1 Comment »

Watch An Ad, Download A DRM-Free Song

January 19th, 2010

Kathy McGraw

Ars Technica reports that FreeAllMusic.com, an ad supported music downloading service, signed an agreement with the music label EMI. Read the article here.

My first reaction to the idea of having to watch an ad to download a song was a rather harsh “no way, dude!” But then I thought about it and it didn’t sound that bad. I mean, for the mere inconvenience of watching a 30 second ad, you get a free song that is free of any sort of DRM, you know, that stuff that makes it hard to back up your music and to transfer your music to your mp3 player, etc.

The songs that FreeAllMusic will be offering won’t be from unheard of bands, or poor knock-offs, either. With signed contracts with EMI and Universal Music Group, it will have an assortment of songs by many of today’s popular artists.

We’ll have to see how this plays out, but it sounds pretty promising. The trade-off of a little bit of time to be able to download digital music with full ownership rights seems pretty small.

Posted in Music

Tags: DRM-Free music, free music downloads, mp3, mp3 downloads, music downloads

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BioShock 2 DRM Finalized.

January 19th, 2010

Cliff Riseborough

As quoted from the 2K BioShock 2 fan site Cult of Rapture :

Over the past two days, I’ve fielded a lot of questions and concerns about the DRM for both the retail and digital versions of BioShock 2. Because of this feedback, we are scaling back BioShock 2’s DRM.

There will be no SecuROM install limits for either the retail or digital editions of BioShock 2, and SecuROM will be used only to verify the game’s executable and check the date. Beyond that, we are only using standard Games for Windows Live non-SSA guidelines, which, per Microsoft, comes with 15 activations (after that, you can reset them with a call to Microsoft.)

What does that mean for your gameplay experience? This means that BioShock 2’s new DRM is now similar to many popular games you advised had better DRM through both digital and retail channels. Many of you have used Batman: Arkham Asylum as an example to me, which uses the exact same Games for Windows Live guidelines as us as well as SecuROM on retail discs, and now our SecuROM is less restrictive on Steam.

I know that the variables of PC gaming can be frustrating and confusing, and when you say there is a problem, we listen, and use your suggestions to make things better. Feedback like this does not go unheard, and while this might not be the ideal protection for everyone, we will continue to listen and work with you in the future when formulating our DRM plans.

It is pleasant to see something like activation limits on Games for Windows Live actually fully disclosed, as normally publishers try to tap dance around the subject by claiming they aren’t there, or that they have no knowledge of them. And kudos overall to 2K for fully disclosing their DRM, discussing it with their fans, and being willing to make changes. THAT is the kind of behavior that I for one would like to see more of from game publishers.

Posted in Games

Tags: 2K Games, BioShock 2, DRM, Games for Windows Live, pre-order, SecuROM, Steam

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SecuROM : Examining ‘The Beast’

January 19th, 2010

Cliff Riseborough

Mention its name on your average gaming or computer forum, and you’re likely to be greeted with a somewhat emotional response from most people. Let’s try it.

SecuROM.

Yep, that’s pretty much par for the course. It’s insidious, it’s evil, and it’s completely dead set against you. It’s out to ruin your day, ruin your fun, ruin your life.

It may sound like I’m just spewing hyperboles (always a fun game), but if you really believe that’s what I’m doing now, please perform the following experiment. Go to your favourite gaming or computer forum and make an innocent post asking what SecuROM is. Now, give it a day or two to percolate, brace yourself, and check back in to read the replies. And don’t be surprised if you see claims that SecuROM caused a user’s computer to spring to life and sexually assault their pet cat.

Is SecuROM perfect? No. There are legitimate compatibility errors for some people relating directly to the DRM. It has, in the past, used software blacklisting as part of its protection system. It installs itself along with a game, then stays behind long after that game has been removed from your hard drive. However, it also isn’t the demonic force or infection it is too often described as, either. So where does that perception come from?

(more…)

Posted in Just my Opinion

Tags: balance, Byteshield, DRM, EA, exaggerations, lawsuits, SecuROM, Tages

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Do you own your digital property?

January 18th, 2010

Brad McGraw

In a recent blog post at Public Knowledge Jef Pearlman quoted Michael Robertson who asked, ‘Do you own your digital property?’, and went on to say, ‘I know I sold you that, but you can’t play it on a portable device or put it on the Internet’ you’ve turned everything into a rental or a lease.’. This is exactly what the video game companies are saying. We now ‘license’ games, we do not own them.

Now there is an organization (DECE) that wants to start a ‘service’ that allows you to cross platform your media. That could mean music, movies, video games, etc. I would suggest going to my first link and reading that article for what that means. I am going to focus on video games and what I think DRM is supposed to be doing for the video game industry.

(more…)

Posted in Games, Just my Opinion

Tags: DECE, DRM, piracy, Second hand sales

1 Comment »

Forcing ‘Free’ Trade & IP Law

January 18th, 2010

Cliff Riseborough

Costa Rica signed the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States more than a year ago, yet it still hasn’t fully ratified the agreement. Many are protesting loudly against one of the final pieces of the pact, the 14th amendment, which was supposed to be signed in to law by the end of 2009.

What is contained in this amendment to cause so much rancour and delay? Copyright and IP law. The same sorts of rules that US media companies like to push through wherever they can…ISP liability for suspected user piracy, DMCA style ‘protections’ for media providers and the like. Also, things like copyrighting of pharmaceuticals that will drive the purchase costs for health providers through the roof.

Okay, so what’s new? That’s probably what you’re asking while reading this. Well, the change comes in the hardball tactics the US government is taking in getting these laws passed (laws that have proven extremely unpopular among the citizens of Costa Rica). From the Daily News (Tico Times) :

Yet, until the final piece is approved, the United States is delaying market access to sugar. Costa Rican sugar producers will not be able to sell their product in the U.S. unless legislators approve the last part, known as the 14th amendment

So, in short…sign off on the parts of our ‘free’ trade agreement that restrict free trade practices or we’ll cut off trade of your biggest cash crop to us. And as always, one must ask who is pulling the strings here? Who is so gung ho to get these regulations passed that they’re willing to bankrupt the farmers of a developing nation?

Posted in Miscellaneous

Tags: CAFTA, Costa Rica, IP law, market, trade

2 Comments »

RIAA Wants ISPs Doing Duty as Copyright Cops

January 16th, 2010

Cliff Riseborough

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has asked that the FCC be sure not to limit the ability of Internet providers to crack down on those suspected of file sharing as it crafts its net neutrality rules, as reported by Computerworld.

In fact, they go a little beyond simply requesting that ISPs be given the ability to block file sharing :

The FCC should not only avoid rules prohibiting ISPs from blocking illegal file trading, but it should actively encourage ISPs to do so, the RIAA said.

So let’s see if we have this straight. The RIAA wants to be able to go after anyone who it merely suspects of being involved in music theft and piracy. It then wants the Internet providers themselves to act as its enforcers and enact harsh penalties against those suspected of acts of piracy by the RIAA. Note that nowhere in this little arrangement has any actual legal entity been involved.

The FCC has their own concepts that cover some of this ground :

The FCC, however, suggested that broadband providers be allowed to engage in "reasonable network management," including preventing the "lawful transfer of content," in a notice of proposed rulemaking released in October.

The question is, who is determining what is a legal or illegal transfer of content…the justice system, or the record companies?

Posted in Music

Tags: copyright, FCC, neutrality, RIAA

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