Great Article On Why DRM Sucks

My co-worker and friend Andy just posted an excellent article over at DBSkeptic on why DRM doesn't work. The article is particularly interesting because Andy isn't your typical Pirate Bay loving file sharer, he is an author that has written ebooks and been publishing articles online for years. In fact, he used to write for our local newspaper, the Grand Rapids Press.

I think this excerpt from the article pretty well sums up my thoughts on DRM, and why all of my content is licensed under Creative Commons.

DRM hurts the consumer: it penalizes people who have legitimately purchased their media. And since DRM is compromised so easily and quickly, those who want to break the law can still easily do so. If this is a deterrent, it’s a remarkably ineffectual one.

Check the article out here.

Comments

[Linux-user]

True. I just don't get why developers / publishers still use DRM. How stupid are they? Don't they see DRM doesn't work and only annoys the customers that buy software? Pirates just don't care about DRM, because they just download a cracked version (often even before the retail version appears in the stores). Those who buy the software are always struggling with DRM: PC has to be connected to the internet, copy protection is not compatible with the hardware of software of the user. For the publisher it costs a lot of money to use DRM (they have to pay for a license to use it or they have to develop their own kind of DRM which also costs money), but instead of buying the software customers go pirate the software, because they don't agree with the DRM scheme being used. DRM just sucks!!!

[Rob Steenwyk]

Amen to that Linux-user :), I don't disagree with a word that you said. I have actually heard a lot of horror stories from IT people who have to clean out DRM systems like Stardock from PC's, and the DRM actually killed the drive by forcing it into PIO mode. PIO mode is for REALLY old systems, and if it is forced on newer optical drives for too long it will actually destroy your optical drive from over heating.

DRM really doesn't stop anyone that wants to steal the content, and it just hurts and pisses off the paying customers. DRM needs to die.

[Make your own Banner]

I think everyone except the artists who create media we love hate DRM. DRM is a pain in the behind. I don't really mind that games or certain movies have DRM, as I can still record these when they come out on television just as I did with tape cassette movies, but the music DRM from online music stores suck big time because you can purchase music on a CD at a store and are allowed to copy it to any media you like as many times as you like. But, buy it from an online store and not only are there restrictions on how you use it, but often times for how long you can use it. That isn't a purchase, that is rentals.So, yeah, everyone except those who earn their living by creating the multimedia everyone wishes to steal from them hates DRM. Period.