Amazon users are furious at EA over Spore’s DRM and are taking it out on the company in the best way they know how: by sinking the game’s rating and writing scathing reviews, calling the digital protection everything from "draconian" to "repulsive." As of this morning, the game was sitting at a 1.5-star overall rating, with 284 one-star reviews being written.

At issue is the game’s DRM, which allows users to install the game up to three times using the same key. After the third install, owners must send a request to EA in order to request more codes. For their part, EA claims this measure is necessary in light of rampant priacy, pointing out that Spore was already leaked to various torrent sites before the game even launched.

Consumers, on the other hand, feel slighted. Many can’t believe that such a high-profile game is so restrictive when it comes to its DRM, and one user went so far as to say "I’m very disappointed that EA has chosen to treat us all like criminals." While people have a right to be angry, has EA really overstepped its bounds? Considering what a huge problem piracy is for PC games, is the company making a reasonable effort to curtail theft, or are they only punishing paying customers? Either way, the damage is done now, as anyone checking out the game’s Amazon listing is going to be flooded with one-star ratings and negative comments. It should be interesting to see how this whole situation impacts sales.