Spore DRM Management Tool Released

Despite the anticipation, Spore was released under a cloud of controversy thanks to strict Digital Rights Management (DRM) software bundled with the game. Spore's DRM originally allowed only three installations of the game before it would stop working (unless users called up customer support to "remove" an installation). Shortly after release, EA loosened the restrictions to allow for five installations.

Today a new utility was released on the Spore website. The Spore Deauthorization Tool allows users to run a utility that will remove an installation's authorization, freeing up a slot so that the game can be installed elsewhere. The tool doesn't un-install the game, and if you attempt to run the game afterwards it will connect to Spore's servers and re-authorize itself.

Although the tool allows users to free up additional game installations without going through customer service, it still leaves the controversial DRM intact; the game can only be active on a limited number of machines.

Currently the tool is only available for the PC, with a Mac version expected at a later date.

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