DRM attempts (in a better or worse implementation) to enforce a consumables-subsidized business model. And it's not just cat poop machines or coffee makers - it's the same "trick" as network locked subsidized phones.
Just because that's the only business model you thought of, it doesn't make it "right", or even make it something that shouldn't be perfectly legal to circumvent. If you claim to "sell" a coffee maker or cat poop machine, a reasonable person doesn't expect to be tying themselves to your company's future revenue stream. If you angrily discover this _after_ someone's taken your money without having made that clear beforehand - you should have every moral and legal right to _not_ participate in the DRM enforced consumables purchases, and still your the goods you "bought".
Car dealers and real estate developers don't think "Hey, no-one would buy our product if it was $x thousand dollars, therefore it's an uneconomically viable market!". They arrange partnerships with finance companies to ensure you can drive away with only $x hundred dollars down, and a contract (usually with someone else) to pay $y per month until it (and the interest) is paid off.
If you can't sell your cat poop machine (or coffee maker) for a price that covers the cost (and your required margin) because the up front costs sound too high - perhaps getting into or partnering with a business who specializes in providing credit and offering it for "$Z up front, and $Z/10 monthly payments for a year!" - instead of pissing off customers and creating a market opportunity for 3rd party electronics to drive your hardware?
(Of course, I'm probably completely wrong about consumer buying habits here. Most people still talk about the "free phone" they get when they sign up for a 2 year $80/month cell phone plan, and think they're getting a great deal... If you're happy enough to mislead your customers and deal with the blowback like this blog post, I suspect you'll make more money that I do...)
I'm still undecided but I'm leaning towards the only issue here being that the DRM isn't up front. If people know what they are getting into then I see no reason why such a deal between two private parties should be prevented. Tricking someone into a deal and then jumping out "gotcha!" is of course shitty behavior.
I'm sympathetic towards the cell phone issue but I think it's being brought up far too often here. In the United States you have three, maybe four, choices. It's easy for them to collude and price fix. The fuckers certainly did when charging $20 a month for text messages. It costs billions of dollars to enter that market so they could this easily. Pretty much anyone can enter the kitty litter box or coffee maker marketplace. Dozens of companies already have. I'm all about consumer choice and as long as there is choice if someone wants to offer a shitty deal then I'm perfectly fine with that.
In the DRM model, car dealers would sell cars for a very low charge, then sell DRM'd petrol. That would be way funny, with all its inconveniencies.
Should we make it mandatory to display the DRM situation on the box before the purchase? I assume it's already done, in the form of "Recharge with our verified capsules for the highest standard of hygiene" in case of the cat litter box. It's not easy to inform consumers upfront in a meaningful way.
Car manufacturers are moving in this direction. Not with DRM fuel, but with the specialized maintenance machines required to read/reset the diagnostic codes on your car's onboard computer.
Just because that's the only business model you thought of, it doesn't make it "right", or even make it something that shouldn't be perfectly legal to circumvent. If you claim to "sell" a coffee maker or cat poop machine, a reasonable person doesn't expect to be tying themselves to your company's future revenue stream. If you angrily discover this _after_ someone's taken your money without having made that clear beforehand - you should have every moral and legal right to _not_ participate in the DRM enforced consumables purchases, and still your the goods you "bought".
Car dealers and real estate developers don't think "Hey, no-one would buy our product if it was $x thousand dollars, therefore it's an uneconomically viable market!". They arrange partnerships with finance companies to ensure you can drive away with only $x hundred dollars down, and a contract (usually with someone else) to pay $y per month until it (and the interest) is paid off.
If you can't sell your cat poop machine (or coffee maker) for a price that covers the cost (and your required margin) because the up front costs sound too high - perhaps getting into or partnering with a business who specializes in providing credit and offering it for "$Z up front, and $Z/10 monthly payments for a year!" - instead of pissing off customers and creating a market opportunity for 3rd party electronics to drive your hardware?
(Of course, I'm probably completely wrong about consumer buying habits here. Most people still talk about the "free phone" they get when they sign up for a 2 year $80/month cell phone plan, and think they're getting a great deal... If you're happy enough to mislead your customers and deal with the blowback like this blog post, I suspect you'll make more money that I do...)