Piracy is a CrimeRight. Rant time.

So, having now got back into Oblivion, I noticed there was a new DLC (Downloadable Content – new game features and quests basically) available. I duely paid my $1.89 for it (something I’ve never quibbled about) and downloaded the installer. A chore in itself, as in order to download it the following sequence of events happens:

In Firefox I buy the module. This is a success. Thunderbird downloads my receipt email, which has a link to the installer. I then click on the link. This however opens Internet Explorer, which won’t let me download the installer because I’m not authorised.

So instead (having thankfully left my Firefox window open), I copy and paste the link into Firefox, and it downloads happily. Presumably there’s some sort of security cookie involved. In which case, why can’t I just get a download link on the original webpage?

Anyway, so job’s done? Install and away I go?

Nope. Instead on running the installer, the security software being used throws a wobbly and crashes out. A quick search of the official forums reveals this is a common problem, and instead I must faff around rebooting into Safe Mode to install it.

What? Didn’t I just buy this and jump through hoops to download it? Now I’ve got to jump through hoops to install it as well? And after all these hoops it still demands my serial code before it installs.

And they wonder why people turn to torrent sites and illegally downloading stuff? Its because its easier half the time.

I don’t mean to single out Oblivion downloads of course. We all have to sit through that “Piracy is bad, mmmm’kay?” trailer on our legally-purchased DVDs these days. We can’t skip it and jump straight to the movie we’ve purchased. Nope, instead we need to be beaten around the head with an anti-piracy message first.

Of course, if we’d got a pirated copy, then we’d already be watching the film. The pirates are laughing at us at this point.

I also had a run in when my copy of Neverwinter Nights (yup, my legally purchased copy) wouldn’t run on my new PC drive. You guessed it, the anti-piracy software on the CD didn’t like my DVD-drive. The response from the software company (not Bioware I hasten to point out – the company responsible for the anti-piracy guff): “well, use another drive then”. Very helpful.

The music industry is finally starting to figure out that this kind of nonsense just encourages piracy and results in bad press. DRM-free music is starting to spring up all over the place. While I appreciate the need of companys to protect their products, how long is it going to take before they realise that perhaps punishing those of us who’re supporting them isn’t a good way forward?