I can't help but bring up the obvious ever since the Bioshock fiasco that happened recently. DRM and Copy Protection in general have always been a thorn in the side of the legit software users out there, and more over, it just never seems to stop the shady people from actually obtaining the software.

So why is it that none of these protection schemes seem to have any deterring ability against the people they are designed to stop, and why is it that paying users are now burdened with the responsibility of testing protection methods that infect a computer and compromise its security?

Its a war thats been going on for years, since the invent of the "Locate Manual Page (number), paragraph (number), word (number), and enter it in the box" and the 'Code Wheel' that some of the old schoolers remember so fondly. Paying users demand access to the product that they shelled out cash for, and companies demand royalties for the IP and want the software used by 1 person and 1 person alone. But as time has moved forward and protection methods have become more and more technologically advanced were faced with a new problem, where old protection methods were annoying at best new protection methods actually cause problems, infecting machines with malicious code, using up resources and slowing down PC's, opening up security holes in machines and almost inviting hackers and the like to take advantage of a compromised PC.

With this most recent issue with Bioshock limiting installs, requiring authorization from Securom servers and just causing undue and unneeded problems it may be time for the consumer and us gamers to start making a stand when it comes to having software play around with more than just weather or not we can copy a game. Other review sites have given Zero's to games that would otherwise have scored highly just because of the copy protection that was used (Trackmania Games). Company's have been boycotted, digital releases via. Steam have had the obtrusive protection removed due to consumer complaints but for some reason some companies have not noted the horrible inadequacy that is inherit in the software protection schemes that they use. And whats worse, these companies pay incredible amounts of money to include this protection in there games. All in all it affects 2 people, the paying end-user and the company who includes it, note in fact that software pirates are not affected at any point, save for the few extra days/weeks it may take to crack a protection method.

And in the end, we paying customers are the ones that pay for it en-mass.

So for the record

Draconian copy protection causes headaches and problems for users that have shelled out hard earned cash for there games, meanwhile, the people that have been stealing the software for years, still get a copy, but its devoid of any form of undue hassle.

DRM and Copy protection = Fail

/end rant