Microsoft gives up DRM in hard struggle against piracy in game sector

At Game Developer Conference 2009 Microsoft has introduced new technologies for struggling piracy in the game sector for Windows.
According to Microsoft representatives, the new components for Games for Windows platform does not contain anything resembling DRM (Digital Rights Management â€“ copy protection system), but provide additional protection for games publisher. Besides, new Games for Windows will have built-in mechanisms of purchasing virtual materials and add-ons.
The main idea, underlying the new approach to the protection of the rights of Windows games publishers, is that now on default the user is considered to be good and law-abiding customer. In the first place this relates to online games: now such games can be installed on how many you want computers, the main thing is that your account should have the purchased license. The second notable innovation is the blocking of games until the moment of official start of sales.
According to Drew Johnston, the head of Windows Gaming Platform department, players can purchase or obtain by other means a copy of the game before its official release, but all game resources will be coded. You will be able to start the game only after activation via the Internet. The publishers note that sometimes they lose up to half of the possible profits because of the fact that the new game leaks to the Internet before the official announcement, or different users by other means obtain the boxed version, the sales of which have not yet begun. The second part of the new technology of the struggle against piracy is in control of licenses, rather than copies of network games. This mechanism affects only multiplayer network games â€“ now the user can enter the game from any computer, the most important is that he has purchased a license for his account. A single for all network games license control mechanism must significantly ease the lives of developers and publishers. Another innovation of Games for Windows platform is a single mechanism for gaining items within the game itself. There is already Steam technology, which allows you to buy games, add-ons and various virtual goods, but now Microsoft is planning to develop a single mechanism for game trade for all developers. Itâ€™s interesting that because of the announcement of new Microsoft strategy one of the game publishers has already planned to distribute new products through file exchange network BitTorrent. Thus, the delivery of a game to a buyer becomes almost free â€“ the publisher should only correctly advertise and activate the downloaded copies in the prescribed period. Instead of struggling the illegal copying, the publishers, on the contrary, will aim at the increase of the number of downloads, but in doing so they will strictly control licenses on the access to their game servers, arstechnica.com reports.