In an article as fascinating for its location (Business 2.0) as its content, the author suggests that Intuit's act of contrition (dropping their cumbersome activation codes) may be an indicator to Microsoft and the studios in Hollywood that they should be thinking about user's rights if they want to remain competitive.

To be sure, Intuit is in a much dicier situation, since it has direct competition, which Microsoft has carefully weeded out using questionable methods. Further, the big movie studios have exclusive properties that provide them with a hook into the consumer. Nonetheless in areas where there is competition, it looks like unwieldy copy protection schemes are likely to be a part of the buying decision.