> what stops a user from removing the DRM components
I think inertia and convenience. Casual users won't hack around trying to rip Netflix when they have already paid for it.
Also since services like Netflix are in the cloud they allow for viewing from multiple devices and other benefits (remembering where you left off, etc).
Sure, there might be some savvy developers out there that might put out a custom build of Chromium with a stream ripper plugin. But that still means that some users have to pay for content.
I'm talking about a free software DRM implementation -- where users have been explicitly given the freedom to remove the DRM. Sure, not everyone will modify their copy of Chromium but once a single developer does and creates a fork of it, that's all you need (and that's why freedoms #2 and #3 are so important).
The reason I pointed that out is because wishing for a "free software DRM implementation" is a bit silly, because having a free software implementation contradicts the whole purpose of DRM (which is why we should reject DRM as a concept, not barter with DRM proponents about what the licensing of the DRM binary blobs should be).
I think inertia and convenience. Casual users won't hack around trying to rip Netflix when they have already paid for it. Also since services like Netflix are in the cloud they allow for viewing from multiple devices and other benefits (remembering where you left off, etc).
Sure, there might be some savvy developers out there that might put out a custom build of Chromium with a stream ripper plugin. But that still means that some users have to pay for content.