FTC To Discuss DRM At Town Hall Meeting

The Federal soldier Trade Commission is holding a town hall meeting to discourse digital rights management and its shock on consumers, and they're looking for input from you!

Copy-protection schemes have got never been such entertaining simply 2008 was a in particular rough year for both consumers and halt publishers. Natural philosophy Arts was at the center of the ramp: After stirring upbound the pot by announcing that Mass Effect would use a continual validation system (a decision which was later backward) EA then dumped it in gamers' crotches by cathartic Spore with close to of the most restrictive DRM ever seen. At launching, Spore could only be installed connected three PCs, and each copy was good for only one online account, meaning that each member of a kin, for instance, would have to buy in his OR her own copy of the game ready to play information technology singly.

EA mitigated rising a moment happening the restrictions following the game's release, and even got around to releasing a "First State-authorization tool" in December 2008, but the damage was done: Consumer rage blew sprouted in Ea's face, ranging from smouldering meeting place posts to category-action lawsuits, and while the company stood its ground it became increasingly clear that this wasn't going to just blow over anytime soon. Meanwhile, the ironic icing atop the angercake came in December with the news that after totally the try and trouble, Spore was still the most pirated game of 2008.

The upheaval has finally caught the attention of the U.S. government in the form of the Federal Trade Commission, which wish hold a townspeople hall meeting on March 25 at the University of Washington Shoal of Law in Seattle, Washington. The event will include demonstrations of DRM engineering as well as panel discussions regarding legal issues, the touch of DRM on consumers and the possible role of government in protective consumers from undisclosed DRM.

"Digital rights direction (DRM) refers to technologies typically ill-used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, and right of first publication holders to attempt to control condition how consumers access and use media and amusement contentedness," the Federal Trade Commission aforementioned in the town hall meeting notice. "Among other issues, the workshop wish address the pauperization to meliorate disclosures to consumers about DRM limitations."

The need to "improve disclosures" is highlighted, over again, by Spore. While Ea made atomic number 102 secret of the fact that the full release version of Spore employed SecuROM, it failed to inform the great unwashe that the free trial edition of the Spore Creature Creator also installed the software package. SecuROM is disreputable for causation problems on some PC configurations, and Ea's failure to inform consumers of its comportment in the freely-distributed trial program resulted in a class-action suit case in Oct 2008 which claimed the company engaged in "deceptive and outlaw conduct in designing, marketing, distributing a video game demo that contains undisclosed and unconsented to Member Rights Management technology."

People unable to attend the meeting in Washington can still contribute: The FTC has provided a form to defer "inscribed comments or original research" which whitethorn be brought in the lead at the encounter, while at the other end of the spectrum, individuals commode also apply to get over flat up to my neck in the process. "The Commission invites interested parties to submit requests to glucinium panelists and to urge other topics for discussion. The requests should Be submitted electronically to drmtownhall@ftc.gov by January 30, 2009….The Commission testament blue-ribbon panelists based happening their expertise and on the need to represent a range of views."

Is this a first step toward real change in the manner companies view not only DRM only the very nature of their relationships with consumers? The involvement of the FTC gives the proceedings a certain gravitas, but people who expect major publishers to simply switch in the towel are bound to be disappointed. At the best, I'd hope to envision meaningful progress toward a DRM apprisal system of rules, mayhap something standardized to ESRB ratings labels. Government involvement may non be necessary, but As the ESRB has shown us, sometimes the threat of government involvement is necessary to get things done.

Source: Ars Technica

https://www.escapistmagazine.com/ftc-to-discuss-drm-at-town-hall-meeting/

Source: https://www.escapistmagazine.com/ftc-to-discuss-drm-at-town-hall-meeting/

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