Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Ubisoft for Using Starforce

By Linda Orlando

Christopher Spence has filed a $5 million class action lawsuit against Ubisoft for using Starforce DRM in their games without informing people. Starforce isn’t a computer game, despite its cool sci-fi moniker. It’s a type of antipiracy digital rights technology included in computer games created by some software companies. Starforce installs a driver right along with the game files, unbeknownst to the user. The driver runs at the highest level of access on the system, which gives it low level access to the PC’s hardware and any other drivers and processes.

Starforce’s driver then sits there like a little security guard in camouflage, keeping an eye out for any activity that might be suspicious, such as the user trying to copy a copy-protected disc. Although this might sound fairly innocuous, as just an attempt by a game manufacturer to be sure buyers aren’t cheating them, the technology is wreaking havoc around the world because of its inherent flaws.

If Starforce detects anything the least bit suspicious going on, it immediately forces the PC to shut down and reboot. Without any notice to the user, everything grinds to a halt, regardless of whether other applications are running, and without notifying the user to save any unsaved work or shut down any programs or connections. Starforce does not uninstall when you uninstall the game that it rode in on, and it can compromise Windows’ security. Any virus or Trojan can control a computer using the Starforce installed on the computer, thereby potentially putting an entire network at risk. Users may be unaware that Starforce is even installed on their computer, so they may not know what the problem is until it is too late.

Spence’s lawsuit is the first to directly address the dangerous effects of Starforce, but the suit was filed against game manufacturer Ubisoft rather than DRM, the manufacturer of the Starforce technology. According to Computer Gaming World, the PR manager of Starforce claims that the issue on Starforce is "obviously sponsored by our competitors and crime groups that run CD/DVD piracy operations." The company takes extreme offense to negative comments about its technology, even going so far as to respond angrily to complaints on their website forum by saying "You’re lying! If you publish an apology on our forums for being a liar, we may continue conversation."

If you think you may have already installed Starforce on your gaming PC without knowing about it, you may be able to do something a bout i. The Boycott Starforce website has a lit of games that incorporate the copy protection software, along with instructions telling you how to remove it from your system. But if all else fails, perhaps the court will side with Christopher Spence and you’ll be able to collect on the lawsuit he filed on your behalf. And then other game companies might get the message that employing Starforce DRM in their software can not only damage their reputation, it can be a legal liability that will damage their pocketbooks.