The back and forth between gamers and game publishers continues this week with Electronic Arts facing two more lawsuits for its use of SecuROM. The proverbial stuff hit the fan with EA’s launch of Spore, which caused a big commotion in the gaming community for its excessive use of copy protection technology.

The story behind the lawsuit brings up the issue of using root-kit-like technology to protect the game content from piracy. Protection that relies on root-kits install hidden drivers on a user’s computer system, often without the user’s knowledge. In some cases, root-kits have been known to cause damage to a user’s setup, often forcing the user to have format and reinstall the operating system.

In the last several years, EA has received bad press about the anti-piracy technology it employs. Now known as the "second evil empire" in the software industry, EA recently vowed to repair its image and produce better games.

Time will tell.