Well, Valve did introduce Steam Cloud... 
Yes but Steam Cloud is optional (for the convenience of the player). Also the games that use it (so far) are multiplayer and since Steam is popular in internet/gaming cafes players who hop from machine to machine will only need to log in to access their configurations.
By contrast, Ubi's system imposes itself on the player like a fascist regime. Needless to say it's redundant since it specifically targets singleplayer games and games that would not likely be popular with gaming cafes and public gaming arenas. It's like the "phone home" schemes except it's constantly phoning home.
The sole purpose of Ubi's scheme is to combat piracy. A noble cause yet it penalizes the legitimate customers. By their example, I'd assume Ubi's method of choice to remove a tattoo would be to amputate the inked limb.
I believe that you can't completely eliminate piracy but you can certainly minimize it by simply rewarding legitimate and loyal customers. People will gladly pay for convenience i.e. home delivery, valet parking, housemaids, storage lockers.
