Will Spore DRM Become EA's Rootkit Moment?
from the increasing-parallels dept
With the news coming out that some purchasers of the video game Spore have filed a class action lawsuit against EA for its inclusion of SecuROM DRM, it's reaching the point where you have to wonder if this is becoming EA's "rootkit" moment. The parallels are there. Both involved an overly draconian form of DRM that severely limited how a "purchased" product could be used. Both involved hidden files installed on a computer -- and both resulted in massive backlash from consumers, and a very slow response from the company. And, of course, the rootkit resulted in class action lawsuits as well. At some point, perhaps, companies will start to realize that treating your customers as criminals is probably a bad idea.
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Filed Under: backlash, class action lawsuit, drm, rootkit, spore
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Sure, EA promises to give out more installs like candy. But a promise and a nickel will get you five cents. I won't buy what is promised because EA can change its promise anytime it wants.
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Re:
Seriously, am I the only one here who is cynical about EA's true goal in business?
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Re: Re:by interval
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Here's hoping
Of course, this is EA we're talking about. So the chance of them actually changing is pretty damn slim to nil, so I'll be keeping my expectations rather low.
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class action suit
here
&
here
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EA Ignored
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I guess I trusted them a little too much. I know you guys are going to slap me for this but I've been a fan of EA games for quite a while, starting with Mail Order Monsters on the C-64. Keep in mind...a fan of the games not their business practices.
Do I regret buying it? Not really....not yet at least. The game itself has been a lot of fun to play.
I guess my fate will unfold in the months ahead. All I can do know if let them know how I feel about all of this and if they do end up stickin the screws to me, they'll lose a long time customer.
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I remember...
All those good feelings of the past have been replaced by caution. I will be very wary of buying any EA product at this point.
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Re: I remember...
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The other thing is, EA and others have been using similar DRM and SecuROM in particular for years. If you have purchased an EA published PC Game in the last few years, you already have "most" of this DRM and you already have SecuROM. It seems to me, as usual, the general public is a little late to the game.
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Re:
Actually, SecuRom does go through great lengths to hide itself in your computer.
Have you ever tried to remove it?
Do you think you really removed it all?
Thing is a pain. And I am sufficiently tech savvy too.
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Downloads
I went to Amazon.com the day before the game came out, ready with credit card in hand, to purchase 2 copies of the game for my wife and I. The first thing you notice on amazon is the thousands of 1 star ratings about the DRM, atleast I know I did. There is no way I'm paying $100+ dollars to buy a game that is going to self destruct. 3 installs, 5 installs, 100 installs, it is my game. It will, eventually, no longer work. I'm perfectly fine with CD keys and 1 account per copy. I was going to buy 2 copies (a cd key for both of us), but I get to install it on any computer I want. I also get to upgrade my computer any time I want.
So, long story short, I had the DRM free version that night from my favorite private tracker. Yep, I'm a pirate now. EA forced me to become a criminal. I just figured if EA is going to treat me like a criminal, I might as well get the plus side of being a criminal as well.
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To Chase
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Not a game buyer..
I've had to deal with DRM crap on my son's computer enough as it is. I won't stop him from buying the stuff, but will tell him why he should think twice on it. Getting Crysis to work was a pain, can't imagine what this will do.
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No they won't
I am boycotting Spore, which I was highly anticipating since i first heard about it like 2 years ago.
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anti-spore
Almost hate to say it, but when (if?) it comes out on the 360, I'll probably buy it.
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Re: Stealing? No.
Repeat after me: "Infringing is not stealing."
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Who cares?
DRM is just a simple contract agreement, and for your dollars, EA grants you the consideration of playing their game using their rules. If you don't like it, don't initiate the purchase. Trust me, for the few of you who would avoid purchase, there exist magnitudes of those who will purchase it without a single thought of DRM.
You are wasting your time and energy TALKING about this. If you were serious, you would organize yourselves and actually FIGHT for what your believe.
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Re: Who cares?
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Re: Who cares?
Hes right, its time for violence! VIVA LA REVOLUTION!!
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Hey, question for you guys
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Re: Hey, question for you guys
Try this to get rid of Securom crap, it's worked for all previous versions but they might have improved it since I last had a securom invested game on my pc:
1. stop UAService7 service (CTRL+ALT+DEL, find it and kill it)
2. using e.g. Autoruns (http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html) remove this service and delete the file windowssystem32UAService7.exe
3. delete the folder Documents and SettingsApplication DataSecuROM
4. delete the folder Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataSecuROM; in case of any deletion problems use DelInvFile tool
(http://www.purgeie.com/delinv.htm).
5. delete securom registry keys using regedit
6. key named HKLMSOFTWARESecuROM!CAUTION! NEVER DELETE OR CHANGE ANY KEY* contains embedded nulls and cannot be removed using regedit; use e.g. RegDelNull tool (http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/RegDelNull.html) instead of it.
RegDelNull is the only tool I've been able to use that actually removes their null entries in the registry.
Pasted from
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DRM Promotes Piracy...
If I were King at EA:
- I'd find a Business Model where someone copying the game is a good thing and not a revenue loss issue.
- I'd fire the guy that told me that DRM would be a good thing.
- I'd fire the guy that said adding 2 activations would get me out of this mess.
- I'd apologize to the community and make it right.
Freedom
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SecuROM
So, where is it? Where is this secret SecuROM module installed in my PCs command and control center?
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Actually, if you go to pirate bay and type "spore", 20 different downloads pop up. You cant tell which one to download. The comments to each of these files are filled with "this won't work" or "it asks for my registration code" and the replies are like "you need to first put this file in that directory and then mount the ISO like normally and then do not do this" etc. Very overwhelming to say the least. I don't think EA has anything to worry about except for the elite 1% who are a) tech savvy enough to know what a torrent is, know which of the 20 is the correct one c) wants to wait for the 2-3 day download and hope that after 3 days it actually works d) knows what an ISO file is and how to mount it (since I think it's too big to burn to a consumer-sized DVD).
After going to pirate bay I almost ran out and bought the damn game! (I didn't because of the 3-install limit and the rootkit but I'm not the average consumer).
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Re:
1) Google x
2) Read about x
3) Retain and Comprehend Information about x
and you're good to go.
"Actually, if you go to pirate bay and type "spore", 20 different downloads pop up. You cant tell which one to download."
Usually, it's the one with the most leechers.
""you need to first put this file in that directory and then mount the ISO like normally and then do not do this""
Always check the "READ ME" file--it will include the instructions. Those comments are from the clueless who do not know how to RTFM.
Daemon-Lite works great for image-mounting needs.
"I don't think EA has anything to worry about except for the elite 1%...tech savvy enough...wants to wait...knows what an ISO file is and how to mount it (since I think it's too big to burn to a consumer-sized DVD)."
I. Most people have a knowledgeable friend to call upon. (duh!)
II. It's a 4gb install. It can be fit on one DVD. Besides, it's not exactly difficult to make a multi-part archive.
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Almost a loyal customer
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Why pay for crap
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Bad Actors - EA and Securom
Make sure you read it all, now. ;)
Securom is a bad actor and isn't disclosed in any EA packaging or documentation at all except buried somewhere on their official websites - and that's if you even think to look for it. And even then, info on Securom is merely copy/pasted from SonyDADC's sales tool, securom.com.
It's version 7.3xx that seems to be the most problematic - the same version EA's been using on all PC games since April 2007. Disabled disk drives, error messages preventing startup, OS problems (an update to Securom in recent game patches for Mass Effect PC and C&C Kane's Wrath somehow borked rightclicking on any program icon, causing Windows Explorer to crash:
http://masseffect.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=643458&forum=127
http://f orums.ea.com/mboards/thread.jspa?threadID=388208&start=0&tstart=0 ).
This crap should've been investigated a long time ago. Hopefully this lawsuit will get that going.
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Spore Looked like Fun
Then download the cracked version and play that.
It's come to the point where crackers vie with each other to see how can break DRM (Digital Restrictions Monopoly)the fastest.
I for one applaud their work.
I no longer buy games when they first come out, as they have to many problems at launch. Some games just are code optimized, look at Crysis. When the head of a video game company comes out and says the next version will have a better coded rendering engine, that tells me they rushed the current game to market.
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Were I to
And I would not spend money developing DRM for the game, except for some simple setup preventing the CD from playing if it was being run from alchohal 52% (or 104%) or from Damon tools or similar. So: you can copy the cd for backups. You can run it without the CD (But dragging files to a file and sending them to another computer would likely not work unless you do some reg-editing) you can copy the CD and you can share it with freinds and faimly. This way the only people who are inconvienced are people who wish to allow someone that they are not within easy traveling/shipping distance of play the game, and people who don't want to have to write their backups to CD.
That's not many people, so I think most people would not notice.
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Common Sense?
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Demon SecuROM
It's not just a simple DRM, it installs separately to the game without your knowledge...if you un-install the game...it DOESN'T un-install the SecuRom, which makes it a rootkit (malware), so if you don't know this, you will think it's gone because it hides in "hidden folders" and in your "Registry", not to mention disabling of some AV's ,the damage it does to some PC hardware, and stops you from being able to use legal software that SecuRom has been programmed to black band. EA deserves to be sued over this issue alone.
The other issue I have with this type of Draconian DRM is that when you can't afford the internet anymore, you can no longer Play a Game you Paid for, and that is wrong...most games aren't played over the Net so why do we have to be connected to it. ( It's to Spy on PC users, that's why it Phones Home with Encrypted Data.)
There is a lot bigger picture than what we're seeing here right now, this is only a baby step to the end plan. This has nothing to do with piracy, because we know that the pirates will never be stopped and it is proven once again with the amount of torrented copies of Spore downloaded so far in less than a month. Why is EA adamant about continuing to use SecuRom when they know it’s not doing what they say it was intended for and is only effecting the paying customers. I will not buy anything that is put out by EA or Sony anymore, even though I would love to buy Sims2 IKEA, Sims2 Apartment Life, Spore and Red Alert 3, but I just don't trust EA or Sony. All they have done for the last 18 months is lie through their teeth to save their neck and not a bit of concern for their paying customers.
I'm a member at Reclaim Your Game: http://www.reclaimyourgame.com/ and we’re dedicated to helping other gamers with their issues with SecuRom and get info out to educate to public. We also have a SecuRom Removal Instruction Walkthrough Tutorial on the site for people to use and we’re in the process of updating it.
So please feel free to visit our site and see for yourself.
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not buying DRM infected games was vindicated
I had thought that IL2 Forgotten Battles had come out before DRM and obviously I am wrong.
As the DRM is incompatible with Vista Ultimate x64 I cannot play the game that I had legally bought.
Cheers,
Teddy Bär
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Sign on to refuse to buy EA games until they unbundle DRM & SecuROM
It takes just a minute to sign up at http://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/ea-games-without-drm-and-secu-rom We are trying to get at as many people as possible to sign up to get EA to notice. Figure each game costs $50, and if 500 people sign on, that would be $25,000 in lost revenue.
For its loyal customer base, secretly adding DRM and SecuROM in their install is just not the way to treat us. Thanks!
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what I did to the spore cd when the drm bsod my computer
2. then I took a hammer a turned the CD into a pouder.
3. finally i put the pouder wrapped in paper into my fire-pit and roasted some marshmallows.
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