Always online does not equal DRM

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Monday, March 25, 2013, 09:12 (4049 days ago) @ Claude Errera

As long as you're going to include the 'R' in the middle of that acronym, I am going to refuse to accept your definition - because RIGHTS management means the management of RIGHTS, explicitly, not implicitly. If your rights are being 'managed' as an incidental consequence of an always-on connection that was put in place for reasons other than RIGHTS management, DRM is not the appropriate term to use. Until you accept that, we really can't talk about this stuff.

Let me try to convince you.

Are CD keys DRM? Most people would say yes, since if you have a game disc, but no CD key, you can't play.

So you want to play online, and you can't do so without a CD key. The server checks your CD key to validate it, and if it's not valid or pirated or in use by someone else it refuses you a connection. DRM? Most people would say yes.

So explain how that's ANY different than connecting to a Destiny server. There's no CD key to validate, but the server still has to authenticate you and choose to accept the connection. It's the exact same thing. You can only connect because the server allows you to connect. The reasons might be different, but the exact same process is happening.

It does not matter what the intent is. All the matters is the result.

This is why you need to break things down to their core. I hope I showed you why they are the same situation, but feel free to dispute anything I just said, as I value the discussion and it will either strengthen or make me change my stance.