DRM: Additional thoughts

Yesterday, I wrote about DRM, how some companies use it in their products and what it means for end users.

Just had some additional thoughts, particularly in the area of online only software. In my post, I made it sound like requiring users to authenticate when using an online only service was a more foolproof way to control access to a software, but even this method can be hacked. Would just take much more effort than most people want to waste, versus "activation" schemes which can be circumvented in minutes or less.

But it is a much better way to control access to software, as it allows users to use a given application from any computer. Like I said, as well, the drawback is that internet access is a requirement.

I guess that another way of giving users access to software regardless of system is to use hardware "dongles", but this method has problems as well. Dongles break, or get lost and the software gets hacked as well to where users don't need a dongle.

I just see this whole business as an arms race that corporations cannot possibly win. Legislation won't stop hackers, they are already operating outside the law. Their methods are distributed and partitioned to minimize enforcement risk. Hacked products and procedures are relatively easy to find. And lastly, there is no such thing as a 100% secure system. A lot of warez crackers live to sit at home on a weekend and break through security schemes that media creators put in place.

So while software publishers, music creators and movie studios all talk about how much money they are losing to piracy, they are actually deepening their losses by paying money in a futile attempt to stop piracy.

It's a demand side problem. The problem exists because there is a need for products that are overvalued, or don't exactly meet people's needs, or are 100% useful but outside the means of the average person. You aren't going to be able to stop the demand, which causes the problem in the first place, by going after the suppliers.

If people really want to tackle the problem of piracy, they would get at the root cause of the problem. Most products cost too damn much. Of course, that would mean lessening profits at a time when stock investors demand more and more revenues and profits.

Because businesses are so narrowly focused on the short term bottom line, they are losing sight of what a company should be about in the first place...providing a quality service that is demanded by their customers.

That's the real issue here, as I see it. The proverbial elephant in the room.