From there, it gets a little complicated.
For the PC version bought in retail or digitally from EA:
* No disc check, you do not need the disc in drive to play.
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No limit on the total number of PCs you can install and play the game on. There is a limit to the number of unique/different PCs that can start/play the game within a time window [5 PCs in 24hrs].
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Each install requires logging in to your EA account to verify game ownership and if you are a member of these forums, you have an EA account.
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You can play offline but the game will require a login check after a select period of days.
The Release Control does not use SecuROM, and does not install anything to the PC. Its sole purpose is to check with a server to validate whether the game release date has passed or not. It completely removes itself after the game release date has passed. You will not be able to play until that date has passed, and dates and times are set to the retail street date per country.
The console versions use the native DRM of the console - which could be bad news for the PlayStation 3 version at this point.