And Of Course: Study Shows That Getting Rid Of DRM Reduces 'Piracy'
from the no-surprise-here dept
We've been noting for years that, contrary to the popular wisdom within much of the content industry, adding DRM to a product is not good for business. DRM restricts the legitimate buyer, thus making the product less valuable. When you take away value, it shouldn't be a surprise that fewer people are willing to buy. This seems obvious to some of us, but many companies still insist that DRM somehow increases sales. A new academic study has backed us up with empirical evidence that DRM hurts sales, and removing DRM actually tends to decrease infringement, because the product is more valuable to buy. Again, nothing in this research strikes us as that surprising, but we're wondering when the content industry will finally realize this basic fact about the counterproductive nature of DRM.
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Duh
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Re: Duh
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Re: Re: Duh
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Re: Re: Duh
Same here, except for the pirated part (well, ok, I did use software to strip the DRM off when I made an iso copy of the disk.) I've noticed that running the iso in VirtualBox, SafeDisk doesn't seem to complain any more about it.
I've been spending quite a bit of money re-buying games off of GOG just because I want to play the game, and because the company who originally sold me the game years ago decided that the game should only play on Windows95. For $5.95/$9.95, it is worth the added investment to re-buy the game once and have it work on any platform I want without the DRM. Just wish GOG had a bigger selection of old games though...I was buying stuff through Steam for the same reason, but Steam has their own issues with DRM (though, I've found their DRM to be far more palatable especially since I can still play in "off-line" mode without problems.)
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Re: Duh
No, wrong. Check for DRM before you purchase. Do not purchase at all unless there is either no DRM, or any DRM which is present has been comprehensively broken for years. The presence of DRM should act as a large red flag, which encourages you to look for alternatives. There are almost always good alternatives which do not contain DRM. However, the alternatives are often more difficult to find. Seek and ye shall find.
Resorting to pirated versions is dangerous. It opens you up to possible prosecution, you can do without that kind of threat in your life. Also, pirated versions can contain their own nasty surprises in the form of malware. Save yourself the anguish.
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Re: Re: Duh
Please. Don't forget that you or I might know to even think of such a thing as DRM. But too many people don't even know what DRM even means, let alone that it can at the very least fubar your gaming experience and at worst might fubar your computer function.
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Re:
The research also revealed that copyright owners don't necessarily benefit from a lower amount of piracy. "Decreased piracy doesn't guarantee increased profits," Purohit said. "In fact, our analysis demonstrates that under some conditions, one can observe lower levels of piracy and lower profits."
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A simple case study
On an unrelated note, the "Hover to see video" is very annoying to me because I often move my mouse out of the text box to type. It popped up on me twice while writing the above comment.
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Re: A simple case study
Adblock
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Re: Re: A simple case study
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Re: A simple case study
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Re: A simple case study
Try the MVP Hosts file. It redirects all advertising server requests to your own system, where they fail. It makes it impossible for any program on your system to connect to any advertising server on the list.
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm
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Re: A simple case study
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Re: Re: A simple case study
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DRM Sends A Very Simple Message
After that, why bother buying anything from him?
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Re: DRM Sends A Very Simple Message
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Re: Re: DRM Sends A Very Simple Message
She finally said, if you're going to treat me like a thief (she was) then I'll just leave.
Ironically, I accidentally followed another customer (some random housewife) the same way one time and got the same response. You're right, DRM is just like that.
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Re: Re: Re: DRM Sends A Very Simple Message
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Re: Re: Re: Re: DRM Sends A Very Simple Message
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Also in the article...
Tim O'Reilly said it best: The biggest challenge for the vast majority of artists and authors is not piracy, but obscurity.
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Re: Also in the article...
1. People simply don't know about it
2. It sucks
The first reason is normally the problem though because people will turn to file sharing if something isn't worth spending the money on because of its lack of quality. I think it becomes a morbid curiosity sometimes to see something that is actually that bad.
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Re: Also in the article...
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yup...
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Yep
For pro studios, this phrase became SOP: "Buy the software, use the crack." You had to buy the software to stay on the right side of the law, but you had to use the cracked version because it was the only way the software would run reliably.
Amateurs, obviously, didn't have the "buy the software" requirement. I'm surprised Waves is still in business, frankly.
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NO, MIKE: "analytical modeling" NOT "empirical evidence"!
I demand a correction. You are flatly wrong.
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Re: NO, MIKE: "analytical modeling" NOT "empirical evidence"!
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Re: NO, MIKE: "analytical modeling" NOT "empirical evidence"!
You demand???? Well hot damn, if we get to demand things then I want more stories with really fast car chases and midget clowns in them. All this legal/tech stuff gets pretty dry at times.
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Re: NO, MIKE: "analytical modeling" NOT "empirical evidence"!
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Re: Re: NO, MIKE: "analytical modeling" NOT "empirical evidence"!
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Might have jumped the gun a bit
(link: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/10/a-game-we-all-win-dumping-drm-can-increase-sales-whi le-reducing-piracy.ars)
Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing the study, we just need to realize the limitations on what conclusions we can draw from it. Models are important, but they're only really useful to the extent that they help us explain the real world (ie, data). I hope someone does take this model and compares it to actual data, that will be the next step.
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Dear Pirate Mike
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Re: Dear Pirate Mike
(assuming you're serious and not making fun of trolls)
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Re: Re: Dear Pirate Mike
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Re: Re: Re: Dear Pirate Mike
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I mean, really, keeping people from infringement is simple: don't put the thing out on the market. Don't produce the goods and nobody will make unauthorized copies.
If that's your only criterion for success then, by all means, apply the ultimate DRM. Stop trying to produce products and LEAVE US ALONE. I promise nobody will "steal" what you don't create.
But you won't generate any income, either. And I thought that was the purpose of selling things?
If you're interested in profits, then it seems to me that if you remove DRM and your profits go up then it doesn't matter if infringement goes up too. It's tempting to see all that free profit out there and try to grab it, too, but it's not real. The economy only allows for so much on its budget and once you reach that any attempts to exceed it just cost more than they're worth. Forcing the issue just pisses people off. Push them and they'll push back.
Think of it another way: if you make your software easier to use it will steal sales from somebody else who makes his harder to use. Because given two otherwise approximately equal choices most people will choose the one that gives more reward for their energy. Fighting DRM does not qualify as rewarding.
And, oh yeah, infringement goes down too? Bonus!
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DRM purpose
The content guys are just the suckers in all this.
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I've had plenty of first hand experience with DRM completely fucking up a computer. I will detail just one of those experiences below.
My sister loves The Sims. She bought the Sims2, and about 10 expansions. The Sims expansions contain Securom DRM. Securom installed itself in the space between the OS layer and the hardware(?) layer. Her computer had two disc drives. Both of which instantly became fubar'd. Neither of the disc drives would recognize or read ANY disc. Any disc what so, ever... that didn't contain Securom DRM. Both disc drives how ever, were capable of recognizing and reading any and every disc containing Securom disc check code. Well, that's convenient... or not.
Removing the CD burning and leaving the regular disc drive in, didn't fix it. Plugging one of my spare disc drives in, resulted in that drive becoming fubar'd too. So we tried a complete computer wipe, format, new OS. No dice, all 3 disc drives were essentially bricked. We had to purchase a new disc drive, and tell my sister "Sorry, but if you want a computer with a functioning disc drive, then you're not going to be playing the sims anymore."
They eventually got a new computer, and they turned the old computer into a dedicated "sims only" box.
I don't care if some DRM is less intrusive or less destructive than others. After all of the different messes I have been through with different DRMs, I refuse to accept any product containing DRM. I refuse to reward people (assholes) who treat paying costumers like thieves (shit).
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Re:
Had they done the sane thing and patched Securom out of those games (and Mass Effect for PC, and Spore, and every other game they used it on starting April 2007), they would've been forgiven. But they didn't, and all they did was turn loyal customers into boycotters or pirates.
Or lawsuit filers, there were six launched against EA for Securom usage in several different games including TS2.
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I'm a programmer that needs these tools to work, and because of the size of my room I can't afford to have a PC sole for the purpose of gaming. To play these game I have to find a source that have these DRM removed.
Just another reason why these "file sharing must be because people want things free" comments are lame.
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I also refuse to buy any game that uses/used Starforce protection.
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DRM converted me to non-customer
I had stuff that wouldn't run, often complaining that I had something like Process Explorer on my computer. (Is that some kind of crime?) I remember "Knights of the Old Republic" (pretty sure the first one), which had been running fine, suddenly refuse to run, allegedly because of Daemon Tools. Thing is, I didn't have Daemon Tools, nor had I even heard of it until then.
I had store bought DVD movies not play because (I think it must have been Windows Media Player at the time, it would have been six or seven years ago) because it thought they weren't legit. I was on an offshore oil rig for 3 weeks with a collection of movies I couldn't watch. Of course now the warning at the start of movies says if I buy a movie and watch it on an oil rig I am a dirty rotten thief. (It doesn't say anything about how many people watching, just where.)
Also on the rig, our DVD-R recorders have stopped, saying that we were attempting to copy copyrighted material, even though the video source was coming from our submarine (ROV).
Anyway, back to games... I have had several recent games in my hands, wanting to buy them. I read about the DRM contained on them, and said "No thanks!" and put them back. I may have "voted with my wallet", but nobody really sees my vote. They just think "sales were poor; damned pirates! We need even stronger DRM!"
Even old school DRM requiring the CD/DVD is a pain, though less so than much of what is out there today. Since I haven't been buying anything lately, I play mostly older games. I wanted to play "Age of Empires II - Age of Kings - The Conquerors". It was already installed on my computer. I managed to locate 2 AoE2-AoK CDs (yes two, I lost one and bought a second one, then found the first), but could not locate my Conqueror's disc. I know it is still around somewhere. I had to go get a no-CD crack, which could contain malware.
Working offshore, I am without an internet connection I can use for gaming, so any single player games that require the internet for DRM purposes are out too.
DRM HURTS CUSTOMERS. DRM MAKES CUSTOMERS DISAPPEAR.
I don't "pirate" games, but I still stopped being a customer because of DRM.
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Re: DRM converted me to non-customer
Me too. We are actual, real, live, quantifiable lost sales.
Let's start a club! ;)
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Re: Re: DRM converted me to non-customer
Let's start a club! ;)
There's probably a lot of us! It would be nice if we were more visible. A sale is easily counted. How do they count lost sales? If they could count us, or counted us the same way they count "pirates" (with giant made up numbers pulled out of their ass), maybe they would realize how much DRM does hurt them!!!
People developing DRM are creating things to NOT WORK. That's why I may be infuriated when things fail to work, but I am not surprised by it. The focus should be on making things work; there are enough things that don't work by accident, without spending time and effort to make things fail on purpose!
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Re: Re: Re: DRM converted me to non-customer
Apparently, every torrent download is a lost sale in RIAA/MPAA/whatever speak.
Now granted, it makes as much sense as everyone who's not caught speeding being considered a "lost ticket" by the cops, but that's the way it goes.
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Re: Re: DRM converted me to non-customer
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If part of the piracy was people getting backup copies, then yes, "piracy" would drop - but the number of people obtaining the content illegally would not change.
If part of the mystique of obtaining the product is getting past the DRM, then remove the DRM would make it less desirable, and thus reduce piracy. It would suggest that some who downloaded the file before were not even really consuming the product, just downloading the file and forgetting about the content.
If the DRM makes it hard to "share" friend to friend, perhaps more people are driven to get the file online via pirate sites. It still doesn't change the number of people obtaining the content illegally.
In simpler terms, there is no indication of a reduction in consumption of material obtained illegally, only that the narrow metric of "illegal downloads" changes.
A != B.
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Re:
Fewer people would pirate and the same number would get it illegally? Well I am confused - how do you define piracy?
If part of the mystique of obtaining the product is getting past the DRM, then remove the DRM would make it less desirable, and thus reduce piracy.
Well yes, if you make stuff up, you can come to any conclusion you want.
In simpler terms, there is no indication of a reduction in consumption of material obtained illegally, only that the narrow metric of "illegal downloads" changes.
That's simpler terms? Um... less illegal downloading, but no reduction in consumption of material obtained illegally. So they're getting it by carrier pigeon now instead of by downloading? Again, confused about your point.
A != B.
Sometimes that is true, but in this equation you're drawing up what is A and what is B?
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DRMs
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No correction yet, eh, Mike? -- I'll do it for you, then.
2nd, "analytical modeling" is NOT "empirical evidence" as Mike wrote. -- Since Mike claims to have some college and should know the difference, it's just flat out lying to substitute those words.
3rd, '"Removal of these restrictions makes the product more convenient to use and intensifies competition with the traditional format (CDs), which has no DRM restrictions," Vernik said.' -- These dinosaurs are comparing their "analytical modeling" with CDs! No wonder it shows the results wanted!
4th, "In fact, our analysis demonstrates that under some conditions, one can observe lower levels of piracy and lower profits." -- SOME conditions. -- Left out is that SOME conditions must show higher piracy = lower profits, and lower piracy = higher profits. This is an "analytical modeling" not reality, so all that's done to impose "conditions" is changing some numbers in a computer: cherry-pick the results wanted, and voila! All "proved".
On the 12th, I demanded a correction in a CLEAR and inarguable point, knowing full well that Mike wouldn't. He's not only biased in his notions, but having to admit an error is more than his little ego can bear, especially when a frequent critic demands it. So, he had choice of ignoring plain facts and being wrong forever, or giving me a one-time minor victory. He chose wrong forever.
YOU ARE BLATANTLY LYING, MIKE! And I'm crowing again.
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Strip DRM to prevent the need for copyright infringement
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