Copy Protection

I don't mind copy protection. Serial numbers, for example, are great! Sure, they're easy to crack, but they give you a great way to track (and ban) online players, limit new content and patches, etc... Steam is good for that, and would be perfect if only I didn't need to be connected to the Internet to play offline. It's when the copy protection becomes invasive, needlessly affects other aspects of the machine, and imposes arbitrary limitations on legitimate users that I take issue. Resource-stealing software that significantly affects performance as it runs in the background (see the Windows version of Assassin's Creed), drivers that disable legitimate devices because they resemble piracy techniques (Star-Force and SCSI/virtual drives), and limiting installs and user accounts per copy (Spore) are all techhniques so convoluted and counter-productive that they really aren't helping anyone... Save for shareholders who are otherwise detached from the industry, perhaps. These techniques generate bad press for publishers, embarassment for retailers, and frustrating experiences for legitimate users. Ironically, the only people who benefit are the hackers looking for a new challenge! Oh, and the pirates don't notice a difference, as they wait patiently for a crack, as per usual.