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Once more into the DRM breach.
One of my biggest problems with DRM is that it's a way of saying "just because you paid for it doesn't mean you are allowed to use it."
As has been said repeatedly, the only people who are harmed by DRM are honest ones. People who downloaded mp3s or bought pirate copies of Sony CDs did not get rootkits on their computers. People who downloaded a movie that was released in another region rather than having a relative ship them the DVD could actually watch it. The person who downloads illegitimate texts doesn't have to worry about the fact that there is no legal way to read half their collection on the shiny new ebook reader they just bought because it doesn't support the right kind of DRM.
Anything that is available in a DRM-protected form tends to become available in unprotected form on the darknet in short order. Admittedly many such copies are made by exploiting the "analog hole" in one form or another, but it really doesn't matter how they become available because as soon as they are the DRM has failed in its stated purpose.
Where it hasn't failed is in what I see to be its real purpose. DRM exists to provide a mechanism for honest customers to be charged again for something they already own. Its primary purpose is to monetize format-shifting by forcing customers to re-purchase the same content multiple times to keep up with technology. The music industry loved it when everyone re-bought their entire collection of records and tapes on CD. Then came the shift from VHS to DVD; another winner for big content.
No I refuse to believe that DRM is ever a benefit to any customer.
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