Since the release of Will Wright’s evolutionary sim game Spore, EA has had its share of issues. Beyond horrible reviews on Amazon, though (which didn’t stop Spore from selling incredibly well, as the company announced today that it has already sold more than a million copies of Spore), the complaints have reached new heights as EA now faces a class action lawsuit regarding their digital rights management (DRM) software, SecuROM.

The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday by Melissa Thomas on behalf of everyone who has purchased Spore, claims that although consumers are told that copy protection technology (in the form of SecuROM) would come bundled with Spore, they were not informed that “this technology is actually an entirely separate, stand-alone program which will download, install, and operate on their computers.”

Furthermore, consumers are “given no control, rights, or options over SecuROM” and that the software becomes a “permanent part of the consumer’s software portfolio” once installed.

EA is accused of intentionally hiding the fact that the program would be installed on consumers’ computers. In response to what the suit deems is “unfair, unlawful, and/or deceptive conduct” on EA’s part, the plaintiff is demanding that EA pay back the price paid for Spore plus damages, which could lead to a hefty sum for the publisher.

Having already responded to complaints by upping the install limit, EA now faces something potentially costly, damaging to their reputation, and inconvenient (considering that it’s nearly holiday season).

While the plaintiff may have a point in her issues with SecuROM and DRM, the install limit does not seem to actually be affecting a large majority of people (especially after upping the limit to 5 installs).

If anything, this is more of a statement – a definitive, slap-in-the-face response to EA’s own slap-in-the-face DRM, which essentially hurts consumers for purchasing the game while doing little to deter piracy (the game was available for download several days prior to release).

It’s understandable to want to protect one’s property, especially in an industry plagued by piracy, but there are certainly alternatives available besides installing a program onto a customer’s computer. EA, it seems, failed to learn from the outrage surrounding DRM in Mass Effect and Bioshock, and the deep-set resentment the publisher has fostered in gamers has finally exploded in EA’s face.