BoingBoing is reporting that DefectiveByDesign has updated their DRM Free label. It looks very similar to their old one, but much more simple and clear.

Kxra sez, “Defective by Design, the Free Software Foundation’s campaign against DRM has just released a new graphic to mark DRM-free works on the web. The DRM-free label quickly communicates the DRM-free status of files, increases in value as more distributors adopt the label, and adds value to being DRM-free by linking to an informational page about DRM. The logo is already in use by O’Reilly, Momentum, the Pragmatic Bookshelf, and Magnatune. It is available in a few different styles with source files under CC-BY-SA 3.0.”

Are you selling DRM Free products ? If you are, then use it! Visit DefectiveByDesign.org for more information

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The Humble Bundle, which has been providing DRM free game deals every month, has announced that they will now offer weekly bundles. That’s right- the same pay-what-you-want and DRM free options but with new offers every week. They have also introduced a tiered reward system to encourage higher donations. For example, the current deal is an indie game called Bastion. Donating at least $1 gets you a Steam copy (in addition to DRM free), exceeding the average price gets you bonus content, and $25 or more gets you physical merchandise. As pointed out by TechCrunch, this tiered system is very similar to the crowdfunding site Kickstarter- which is in the news almost every single day.

Check it out !

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Well that was quick. EA has come out and apologized to players for the recent DRM debacle. According to TechCrunch, they have increased server capacity and are watching the situation around the clock. Plus, they are offering players some sort of “free game.” It certainly won’t undo all the damage caused and anger created over the past few days, especially since it’s still riddled with “always-on” DRM. Lucy Bradshaw, EA’s general manager, commented on the situation:

“The good news is that SimCity is a solid hit in all major markets,” she writes. ” The consensus among critics and players is that this is fundamentally a great game. But this SimCity is made to be played online, and if you can’t get a stable connection, you’re NOT having a good experience. So we’re not going to rest until we’ve fixed the remaining server issues.”

At least they recognize the issue- perhaps other game studios are taking note and reconsidering “always-on” DRM. SimCity is such a fantastic and iconic franchise, so hopefully they can recover and make things right.

Source: Techcrunch.com

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Game developers and publishers take note: if you put harsh DRM on your product, you may permanently ruin your game and brand.

This past week SimCity 5 launched with always-on DRM; you must be logged on, authenticated, and connected to the server in order to play. So when the servers inevitably couldn’t handle the rush of excited players trying to log on, the servers lagged, crashed, or locked people out. EA then tried to mitigate the problem by cutting out some of the game’s basic features, such as “cheetah mode.” The gaming community would not let this one slide, and as a result EA has been absolutely torn apart on social media sites and tech/gaming blogs.

On the bright side, some developers have taken to Kickstarter to crowdfund a SimCity-type game, but DRM Free. As of March 9, 2013, they have already raised $55,000 of their $250,000 goal. You can visit their project page here.  Their basic reward packages are shown below:

“Pledge $5 or more: Our eternal thanks for helping make Civitas become a reality! With your help we will be making this game as amazing as we all know it can be! We also consider this donation a way to quantify the amount of people, even if they aren’t a fan of our type of game directly, that support DRM free delopment and community freedom, and want to see the draconian DRM antics of clueless publishers ceased.Your name will also be featured on the website for the game, as well as in the game credits as a contributer.”

“Pledge $15 or more: One digital download copy of the first release version of Civitas at this pre-release price. Your name will also be featured on the website for the game, as well as in the game credits as a contributer.”

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“Bundle” websites- where users are offered a discounted group of items but only for a limited time-  are all the rage these days.  Some of these bundles are completely “pay what you want,” meaning you can pay as little as 1 cent and get everything (which isn’t encouraged since you should be supporting indie artists and authors).  There are game bundles, music bundles, app bundles, and many more.  Now, with the launch of StoryBundle.com, you can get DRM Free ebook bundles.   Their first bundle is called the “Big Bang Bundle” and features 5 ebooks plus 2 more if you donate above a certain amount.

You can get more information at their official website by clicking here

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If you are a company that sells your digital products DRM Free, then consider taking advantage of the DRM Free label shown above.  The label is being provided by DefectiveByDesign.org, which is an initiative by the Free Software Foundation to promote DRM Freedom.  It’s a great idea not only for spreading awareness but also as a marketing tool for companies that have forgone using DRM.  Just note that it’s not actually a “certification” since no one is analyzing or evaluating your products; rather, you are encouraged to use it at your own discretion as long as your products are truly DRM Free.  Hopefully we’ll start seeing more and more companies publish this label or similar ‘DRM FREE’ designations on their websites soon.

You can click here to get more information about the label.  It comes in a variety of sizes and styles.

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You can read the full article on Arstechnica.com by clicking here

NOTE:  It’s interesting to note that the article has over 80 comments already – quite a large number.  This seems to be a trend for DRM-related articles- users are pissed and disappointed.

The post Another Day, Another Ubisoft DRM-Related Issue appeared first on DRMFREE.com.

The Humble Bundle is at it again, this time offering six DRM Free albums from well-known internet artists.  These include Christopher Tin, They Might Be Giants, Jonathan Coulton, MC Frontalot, and Hitoshi Sakimoto   There are 11 days remaining and the bundle has already earned more than $290,000!  Below is a copy of the bundle description:

Support six amazing musicians. Pay what you want for the Humble Music Bundle and receive six digital albums from the Internet’s finest songsmiths. Christopher Tin, They Might Be Giants, Jonathan Coulton, MC Frontalot, and Hitoshi Sakimoto have assembled their best cuts for your listening pleasure. And if you pay more than the average price, you’ll also receive OK Go’s Twelve Remixes of Four Songs!

You can visit the official webpage and purchase the bundle by clicking here

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After his wildly successful DRM free release of “Live at the Beacon Theater,” Louis CK is at it again.  He just made available 2 new audio comedy specials; both DRM free.  The first is Louis CK: WORD – Live at Carnegie Hall:  an hour long routine for 5 dollars.  The second is an audio release of Shameless, which was his first hour long standup special ever.  It was on HBO and was never released as an audio CD, but now HBO is allowing him to do so.

You can read more about the specials on his official website and blog by clicking here

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This past Friday (May 4, 2012) was dubbed “International Day Against DRM” by the folks over at the DefectiveByDesign Initiative.  It has already passed, unfortunately, but it featured some great discounts by DRM free sellers.  For example, Oreilly.com offered 50% off their ebooks for the entire day by using the coupon code DRMFREE.  And according to this article by the EFF, it resulted in Oreilly’s biggest day of sales ever!  Other DRM free companies that offered discounts during those 24 hours were Angry Robot Books and Weightless Books.

Some of the suggested activities for supporting DRM Freedom on this very special day included:

1. Share links to Day Against DRM on your social networks.
2. Attend an event. If there isn’t one in your area, get one started!
3. Tag defective products on Amazon. Amazon has ‘tag forums’ too, where the tags on products can be discussed.
4. Write a blog post explaining the problems with DRM and why you won’t buy anything infected with it.
5. Write a letter to your local public library and school system, asking them to drop DRM.
6. Make a video talking about the dangers of DRM and put it on video sharing sites.
7. Print out our Day Against DRM poster (coming next week) and display it at your local library, at your job or school.
8. Do you use Netflix? Ask Netflix to drop DRM from its own shows, and to support DRM-free streaming.
9. Buy products and support artists that are speaking out against DRM.
10. Leave comments on reviews of DRM-infected devices warning people about them.

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