What does that mean? Apparantly the two targets here are in fact SecuROM and SafeDisc and their potential for compromising security of gamers computers.

Read more detail on Ars Technica, where there's bigger news on the implications for Apple thanks to exemption number 2.

In related news, a recent court case ruled that DMCA anti-circumvention protection does not apply where a link between 'access' and 'protection' of the copyrighted work cannot be proven. More on that at Courthouse News.

Their sales report (which you can download here), details this 94% increase over last years figures, and looks forward to two big releases next quarter with RUSE and HAWX2.

The only problem for Ghost Recon fans is, we're describing a different Ubisoft game, the upcoming Real Time Strategy game RUSE. The two gentlemen shown above are Alexis Dressay and Mathieu Girard. If you click that image, it'll take you to a twenty minute YouTube video split into several chapters. In each chapter there is repeated reference to fan forums and community requests showing the dev teams commitment to making the game something that the fans have played a part in shaping.

After the first beta, the game was delayed while fan feedback was fully digested by the dev team. Now they've come back with a new version of RUSE packed with fan suggested features, and to top it off, there's a chance to play the new pre-release multiplayer version free this weekend over Steam.

Visit the official RUSE website, and post feedback in our RTS forums.

According to Beth Kasperski at Go Fanboy,..

Words that are sure to enrage booth babes and Frag Dolls alike!

Of course North Carolina is also home to Red Storm Entertainment, Ghost Recon developer. It's little coincidence then that John Sonedecker ex RSE and Ghost Recon developer now find himself at Fort Bragg producing what is claimed to be the ...

John Sondecker isn't the only person featured in the video that Ghost Recon fans might recognise, as there are some of our forum members making an appearance too.

If you're intersted in Special Forces and how they are using the latest gaming technology to prepare troops for combat, check out the kmov video now, then check out the more detailed article at FayObserver.

With ATC you can plan your game tactics in realtime with your squad, marking up maps with routes and tactics. It's great to see this tool is still being supported, check it out at PlayPrepared.com.

Over the years our Frequently Asked Questions have been read well over one million times by Ghost Recon fans looking for help. This upgrade will help us maintain an efficient archive of solutions for issues and commonly asked Ghost Recon questions, including Future Soldier peer to peer support later this year!

Some forum accounts have been lost, however we have succesfully recovered one account and are working on the rest now. If you cannot login, please bear with us while we attempt to repair the broken accounts. Please contact me using our contact page if you have any issues.

Ruin's review comments on various aspects of the latest Splinter Cell, and has a movie clip detailing how the new Uplay system works, check it out!

Over half a million Ghost Recon posts from over 18,000 members, going back over 7 years!

We are still ironing out some bugs so feel free to report anything you find that's not quite working correctly, or indeed any cool new features you find, in this discussion thread.

The upgrade process will take around 48 hours to complete and test so if all goes according to plan, by Monday evening they should be back online.

To help pass the time and build expectations, why not check out the official release trailer, it really sets the scene for an interesting storyline. We've the full HD version available for download right here, or if you'd prefer to stream it, click here!

Read more on Josh Lowensohn's blog at CNET.

Splinetr Cell Conviction is due out for PC and X360 next month.

CNN are reporting on their experiences with Assassin's Creed 2 and it's "not fun" according to their technology journalist. Not surprising, the target for their disdain is Ubisoft's always on DRM system calling it ...

Contrary to Ubisoft's latest statement, CNN also report the the new protection system

Forum discussion here.

Yesterday we reported on Ubisoft's plan to compensate Assassins Creed 2 gamers for the downtime their authentication servers suffered at the weekend. Details are starting to arrive via an e-mail Ubisoft are sending to affected customers.

Read the full email in our forums.

If you search Google for our headline, you'll probably get almost 9,000 results. That gives an indication of how Digital Rights Management is perceived across the entertainment sector.

Yesterday Gabe Newell brought DRM out into the bright lights of mass media courtesy of the 2010 Game Developers Choice Award ceremony where he was recognised with the respected GDC Pioneer Award.

The introduction to the award will be of interest to gamers, and Gabe's acceptance speech is equally interesting if you want to know where gaming tech is headed, you'll not want to miss his speech.

Where the first round of applause came however, was when Gabe addressed games publishers, referring to DRM has a negative influence

There were actually only two rounds of spontaneous applause during Gabe's interesting speech, one for the DRM put down, and one when his auto-prompter failed.

Watch the speech here, (60 minutes in) , comment on Gabe's insight in our forums!

Ubisoft representative have stated that compensation is being planned for users affected by the Denial of Servcie attack that took Ubisoft's DRM authentication servers offline at the weekend. Exact details of the nature of the compensation that affected Assassins Creed 2 and Silent Hunter 5 gamers is expected later today.

Ubisoft have released a public beta through Steam for their brand new Real Time Strategy game R.U.S.E.

Try it out and let us know what you think in our RTS forums, where you can read the full press release. And to round it off, here's a 100Mb HD video download, hot off the press!

While some are questioning why Ubisoft seem to have been targeted while other publishers gaming servers remain unscathed, most in the gaming community have responded with derision focusing on Ubisoft's much criticised new DRM system.

And so the saga continues! One has to wonder if Ubisoft will also feel motivated to make an announcement once there new DRM is fully cracked.

Coming up we've some even more exciting updates, not least brand new forums complete with new features and a new fresh look on the way.

It'd be great to hear your feedback in our forums!

PC Gamer simulated an interuption to their internet connection while in game and were immediately dropped from the game, losing all progress since the previous save point in the process. This confirms previous reports that in order to play Ubisoft's new games, a permanent internet connection must be available throughout the game session, even during single player games.

While Ubisoft may see this as the best answer to combat piracy, there is unanimous and universal condemnation of this anti-piracy measure that once again would seem to punish the paying customer.

If anyone supports these measures from Ubisoft, we'd love to hear your point of view in our forums, as so far it's all a one way debate! Join in here.

The report confirms Ubisofts commitment to existing major titles (like Ghost Recon) in preference to new ventures. Ubisoft also promise a "platform of online servcies" for PC titles. 

Interested in the financial stats? Download the 5 page PDF here.

Considering that Ghost Recon Future Soldier is now officially the game worlds worst kept secret, there's a good chance Ubisoft are about to reveal details of what will be one of their biggest titles this year, and one that Ghost Recon fans have waited a very long time for!

Or, perhaps it is something totally unrelated - a new Rainbow Six....?

Rainbow Six forums this way, Ghost Recon Future Soldier this way...

Much like Relic with Company of Heroes, each time a Ubisoft game is started it will phone home using your internet connection to verify that it's legitimate. This will happen via existing Ubi or Uplay accounts.

There are pro's and cons to this method of verifying game sessions, so in our forums we have a Q/A from Ubisoft painting the positive side of the debate, and to kind of balance that out we have a slightly more cynical take from member krise madsen. Which is more accurate? You decide.

We've a new site design in progress behind the scenes, an improved FAQ section with the very best in Ghost Recon instant support almost ready to open, a new download section with the largest archive of Ghost Recon mods anywhere, and a fresh look for the forums. It's still the same great team behind the scenes though, motivated to support Ghost Recon the best way we can!

Best wishes for 2010, long live Ghost Recon!

So, to all our visitors, whether you are a developer, publisher, die hard regular who visits our Ghost Recon forums every day, one of the hundreds of fans downloading mods from our download section every day, or one of the thousands of Ghost Recon fans who drop by and browse the site casually every day of the week, Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2010 from all the staff at Ghost Recon dot net!

The mobile version will automatically appear to anyone visiting GhostRecon.net from a mobile phone, and supports iPhone landscape browsing. If you have any questions or would like to see how the mobile version looks, visit this forum discussion.