Comment Number 539814-00682

Comment Number:	539814-00682
Received:	1/31/2009 11:02:34 AM
Organization:	none
Commenter:	Trenton Bennett
State:	KY
Agency:	Federal Trade Commission
Rule:	FTC Town Hall to Address Digital Rights Management Technologies - Event Takes Place Wednesday, March 25, 2009, in Seattle
Attachments:

Comments:

I purchased Dead Space for the PC and installed it on Vista Ultimate x64. During installation, the DVD-RW drive began making some odd noises--sounds like a floppy disc would make. It hasn't happened since, but what has happened is that my drive takes longer to spool up to speed. Games like Gears of War are already slow, but this is getting a bit out of hand and the wait times for loading now remind me of my Commodore 64. I also went to burn a data disc and, for the first time in a long time, found myself making a coaster. Is this connected to SecuROM? I don't know. But the fact that I have to think about it every time I try to do something isn't right. The fact that I can't physically remove the software is unnerving. The definition of "hacking" a computer is performing an action on a system, that changes that system, without the user's initiating the action, without their knowledge, or without their consent. Clicking a blanket license agreement in order to use a product I have paid for should not also mean I am authorizing the makers of SecuROM to intrude upon my machine in whatever way they choose. I purchase all my games legally. And I purchase a LOT of games. It is not fair to criminalize the customer, nor should it be legal for SecuROM to hack my machine *in case* I *might* be a criminal. The actual criminals break this stuff in minutes and in hours have easily handed it out to everyone. If the manufacturer believes that a customer boycott is a smaller impact than the impact of piracy, let them know that I have stopped purchasing their titles. After over 20 years of buying EA Games, I will no longer support their SecuROM titles, nor will I purchase any other product that purports to "protect their intellecual property" by installing an unrelated product on my machine to monitor me.