Let's be fair here
It is much cheaper to deliver a download to the public, even with Sony's traditional rapacious prices for the SecuROM "bonus", than it is to box up a bunch of DVD's and instruction sheet/manuals. I personally would have preferred to purchase a $20 DVD without SecuROM instead of my $10 SecuROM infested download. I would consider that a better value. That is what Europe is getting.
It's one thing to have fun with "corporations are evil" and "government is evil" but neither observation is true. There are lots of good corporations and a few decent governments. We spend most of our time sneering at the bad ones because that is much more entertaining.
The real problem is large group dynamics. The skill set for obtaining a position of leadership within most large groups is totally different and often in conflict with the skill set of being successful once you get there.
This is especially a problem with democratically elected government, where a great campaigner can be a lousy administrator and the whole shebang falls apart under him once he's elected. An example would be American President Jimmy Carter. He said all kinds of wonderful things while running for president, looked like a winner, wrote the inspiring book "Why Not the Best", wiped out a capable administrator who couldn't persuade his mother to tell him how to get to the bathroom, and the rest is destruction of the American economy for five years.
The fact is that corporations are better than no corporations. Governments are better than no governments. Ever been hired by a poor person? You won't be. Ever had your rights protected by a non-government policeman? It isn't going to happen. Both entities are necessary for any semblance of civilization. Otherwise, start learning to rub sticks together to make fire. We may not live in the best of all possible worlds, but we live in the best world there is.
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