Blizzard extends a ginormous middle finger.

[corvus]

I like the assholes who defend unrelenting corporate control over their products by saying we're not buying products at all, but paying for a service when we buy video games. So by signing the contract we deserve anything that comes our way. Saw this a bit during that little incident on biosocial where the banned guy couldn't register his games. I don't really get shocked anymore at how passive and consenting consumers can be, but the ways that they do bend over willingly surprise me every time.

So, any word on Blizzard retracting this strategy like the Real ID thing? Or do not enough people give a fuck to go internet protesting?

 

[Gord]

Well, funny you look at it that way, in the early days it was not allowed to copy movies, and if you play music in say a snackbar (being the owner), you pay extra royalties even though you own the CD. Seems like the companies are trying to keep and enforce their control over the products.

Well, there's an obvious difference between private and commercial use.

In principle the answer to this actions is simple though. Don't like it, don't buy it.
If it is economically infeasible, publishers will lose interest.
Unfortunately there are more than enough customers who simply don't care.

 

[waywardOne]

So, any word on Blizzard retracting this strategy like the Real ID thing? Or do not enough people give a fuck to go internet protesting?

They won't rescind this. App games and MMO hybrids are the game publishing fad now.

 

[made]

It's not like they scrapped the real ID idea entirely. It's still in, just optional (for now).

 

[Azrael the cat]

Well, funny you look at it that way, in the early days it was not allowed to copy movies, and if you play music in say a snackbar (being the owner), you pay extra royalties even though you own the CD. Seems like the companies are trying to keep and enforce their control over the products.

Well, there's an obvious difference between private and commercial use.

In principle the answer to this actions is simple though. Don't like it, don't buy it.
If it is economically infeasible, publishers will lose interest.
Unfortunately there are more than enough customers who simply don't care.

The private/commercial distinction is less clear-cut, and less important, than you think.

Firstly, for copying of movies/dvds/videos, it doesn't matter whether the copying is for private use or not. It is still strictly illegal, and criminal in most nations. They have pretty much the exact same rules as computer games (and the same success in enforcing them).

And same for music - surely you haven't forgotten the Napster furore? Online piracy and DRM STARTED with music - games were an ultra-latecomer due to the much larger file sizes. Private v commercial means jack when it comes to music.

There is one exception with music, and that is that in many western nations it IS legal to copy music onto a casette tape for private use. The format matters...because in the 80s there was a big scare about casette tape piracy, and the recording artists formed national and international associations to prosecute and prevent tape copying. Then they found it was easier to just cut a deal with the casette manufacturers - which means that in the west, the recording artists organisation receive a cut of casette tape sales which they distribute as royalties to the member artists, in return for not prosecuting (no idea what formula they use for distributing the money, but I'm guessing it goes by albulm sales or other royalties received that year).

About the only ultra clear-cut thing you can do with music/video is to record free-to-air (NOT subscription based) radio/tv for strictly private use. In Australia, car salesmen have been prosecuted for switching the car radio on in order to prove to prospective buyers that a 2nd-hand car's radio worked ok (mirroring cases in the US and UK).

It is 100% illegal to copy books, except when taking a reasonable sample for academic use or fair comment (reasonable use is usually capped at 10% of the total work, but it ordinarily means that you can quote a couple of paragraphs when discussing/reviewing the work). Again, there is no private/commercial distinction whatsoever.

In most cases, the ONLY difference between books/tv/music and games is that the former are harder to police, and hence you get away with it easier. But the laws are just as strict, if not more so. For example, you are allowed to make a backup of a computer game for your own use...but photocopy your own books and you're committing an offence (covered by international treaties, so applies in almost all nations).

 

[Shannow]

There is one exception with music, and that is that in many western nations it IS legal to copy music onto a casette tape for private use. The format matters...because in the 80s there was a big scare about casette tape piracy, and the recording artists formed national and international associations to prosecute and prevent tape copying. Then they found it was easier to just cut a deal with the casette manufacturers - which means that in the west, the recording artists organisation receive a cut of casette tape sales which they distribute as royalties to the member artists, in return for not prosecuting (no idea what formula they use for distributing the money, but I'm guessing it goes by albulm sales or other royalties received that year).

They also get royalties for blank CDs and probably DVDs/BRs. Doesn't prevent prosecution though, AFAIK. It's just impossible to make a case when the copies are only for private use and not sold.
And I think you're also allowed to make backups of all your digital media, not just programs. Not sure though.
But all of that has nothing to do with D3 unless you buy a paper book in a store and are then legally required to be connected to the internet in order to read it

 

[DwarvenFood]

Thanks Azrael for expanding my point to proper proportions.

Also, I totally forgot about the royalties cut put on top of blank media.

 

[Gord]

The private/commercial distinction is less clear-cut, and less important, than you think.

Firstly, for copying of movies/dvds/videos, it doesn't matter whether the copying is for private use or not. It is still strictly illegal, and criminal in most nations. They have pretty much the exact same rules as computer games (and the same success in enforcing them).

Well, in the case of playing music it does make a huge difference.

For copying you are right.

National law may vary somewhat, though. German law e.g. takes a rather schizophrenic stance.
In Germany you are theoretically allowed to make a copy for you own private use, e.g. for keeping you original disc safe.
I think you are even allowed to copy stuff for family members (although this may have changed, I think it dates back to analog copy which was anyway lossy).
However, you are not allowed to bypass copy-protection. So as long as your cd is free of copy-protection you are allowed to copy it (for your private use, not to sell it of course) but once it's protected you are violating the law by doing so.

Anyway, doesn't exactly have that much to do with an always-on requirement in D3...

 

[ChristofferC]

There is one exception with music, and that is that in many western nations it IS legal to copy music onto a casette tape for private use. The format matters...because in the 80s there was a big scare about casette tape piracy, and the recording artists formed national and international associations to prosecute and prevent tape copying. Then they found it was easier to just cut a deal with the casette manufacturers - which means that in the west, the recording artists organisation receive a cut of casette tape sales which they distribute as royalties to the member artists, in return for not prosecuting (no idea what formula they use for distributing the money, but I'm guessing it goes by albulm sales or other royalties received that year).

They also get royalties for blank CDs and probably DVDs/BRs. Doesn't prevent prosecution though, AFAIK. It's just impossible to make a case when the copies are only for private use and not sold.
And I think you're also allowed to make backups of all your digital media, not just programs. Not sure though.
But all of that has nothing to do with D3 unless you buy a paper book in a store and are then legally required to be connected to the internet in order to read it

They also get royalties for fucking hard drives in Sweden.

 

[Shannow]

However, you are not allowed to bypass copy-protection. So as long as your cd is free of copy-protection you are allowed to copy it (for your private use, not to sell it of course) but once it's protected you are violating the law by doing so.

My info might be out of date, but they changed that, too. Since nero and other programs bypassed copy protection without alerting the user you could break the law without intention or knowledge. AFAIK, you now have to actively try to bypass the protection. But years of lobbying may have changed that again.