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Symantec's DRM of Choice | 49 comments (49 topical) | Post A Comment
Poor analogy[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#22)
by Anonymous User on Tue Oct 07, 2003 at 02:52:09 PM PDT

You've made the same analogy that software companies have been making for years, and it's inherently flawed. The car used in yours is "real" property. It is a fixed asset which has had X amount of materials and labor invested in it. Stealing such a car would cause irrefutable loss and damage to the dealer or legal owner. Despite what they tell you, software is not such a concrete asset. It's INFORMATION. Sure it needs to be protected and shouldn't be stolen -- I'm a software developer myself and don't want my product stolen -- but it's rediculous to compare it to real property. If I bought the software, I should be able to install it on my own system as many times as I feel like it. I shouldn't be able to give it to my neighbor or my brother or my mother, but for my own use there should be no such limitations. It's kinda like how the old BSA saw "Software piracy cost the industry X Billion dollars last year" is total BS -- you can't count every incident of piracy (not that they can even *count* every incident of piracy) as a lost sale. How many 15-year old "warez kiddiez" would buy that $600 copy of Photoshop if they couldn't steal it? How many developers would purchase a $1000 copy of the compiler/IDE they use at work so they can work at home, or how many designers would buy their own $3000 copy of AutoCAD if they couldn't use their copy from work? (not counting those employers of course who would purchase home copies -- most won't). Bottom line is that DRM only hinders honest customers and does absolutely nothing to hinder serious thieves. If you don't believe me, just search the web or your favorite P2P application for any DRM "enabled" title you can think of.

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I'm not sure we disagree[ Parent | Reply to This ] (none / 0) (#33)
by ajcook on Wed Dec 03, 2003 at 02:45:24 PM PDT

You yourself said that you should not be able to install software for your neighbor, brother, mother. So, you appear to agree with the principle of DRM. What I see you taking issue with is that current DRM implementations interfere with your ability to reinstall your own copy as needed.

I never suggested that we all ought to lay down and accept poor DRM implementation.

What I have observed is that many people start with an issue that is really one of implmentation (like activation being broken), or unnecessary invasion of privacy (collecting personal information that truly isn't needed), the call to arms turns into an unreasonable (in my opinion) attack on the very idea of DRM itself.

I'm suggesting that we all accept as justified the overall concept of DRM, and focus our complaints and angst on successful/workable implemenations (so that we can reinstall our own copy when our machine crashes, or we replace the machine).

Oh, and by the way, I agree completely that estimates of lost sales aren't work sh*t, because many pirated copies wouldn't have been purchased....but that does not justify theft.

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