Sony sued over copy-protected CDs - Page 2

MarkHastings · 11-15-2005, 10:11 AM

Quote:

If your house gets burgled, you have to delete all your music from your laptop when you get home. That's because the EULA says that your rights to any copies terminate as soon as you no longer possess the original CD.

Damn! Doesn't this sound like a "Finders Keepers/Losers Weepers" statement??????

The one thing that I don't get is, they say "you no longer possess the original CD", which they must mean that since you don't own it anymore, you aren't allowed to keep the copies of it.

While I understand what they're trying to get at...why does this not sound right? It almost sounds like, if someone steals something of yours, it's no longer considered yours. Doesn't that sound wrong? I may not be in possession of it, but it's still mine!

I guess what they are doing is separating the difference between possession and ownership, where the loss of possession is enough to negate ownership.

I wonder if this would work if I stole a car? If I steal someones car, do they no longer own it because they are no longer in possession of it?

And what about the stolen CD's? If I steal a bunch of CD's, do I get to keep them? Once they are stolen, they are no longer considered "owned" by anyone, so I'm not stealing. The cops can't arrest me? right?

ThomasC · 11-15-2005, 10:39 AM

From the Washington Post blog Phil linked to:

Quote:

Imagine the potential consequences of military personnel or government employees at work on a sensitive government network popping one of these CDs into their computer to listen to their favorite Sony-label music artist. If only half of this research turns out to be supported by the broader security community, Sony is about to find itself in big-league legal trouble.

I sure hope so.

Even more, it seems that the rootkit infringes on copyright as well: http://www.mirrordot.org/stories/90b...3d6/index.html

TheLongshot · 11-15-2005, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Imagine the potential consequences of military personnel or government employees at work on a sensitive government network popping one of these CDs into their computer to listen to their favorite Sony-label music artist. If only half of this research turns out to be supported by the broader security community, Sony is about to find itself in big-league legal trouble.

Actually, this case would never happen, because you aren't allowed to put an audio CD into your computer. Also, on a lot of secure systems, the workstations lock down the CD drive.

If you did, and something like this happened, you'd be the one responsible, since it is against policy.

Now, on corporate machines, this could be an issue.

Jason

dpippel · 11-15-2005, 02:39 PM

The juggernaut keeps rolling along:

http://apnews.excite.com/article/200...D8DT2K9O0.html

The program that Sony is distributing to remove their rootkit is actually leaving systems it runs on even MORE vulnerable to attack than the rootkit itself.

Apparently the company is going to issue a recall for all CDs that contain the rootkit code. One can only hope that the fallout from this fiasco will nail the XCP coffin SHUT.

dpippel · 11-15-2005, 02:43 PM

If you did, and something like this happened, you'd be the one responsible, since it is against policy.

This may be true, but if the damage is done it's done. Assigning blame to an employee after the fact won't pull sensitive data that's already been compromised out of a hackers hands. It's done.

Thomas Newton · 11-15-2005, 08:49 PM

According to USA Today - Sony to pull controversial CDs, offer swap:

Quote:

The label says it will issue all major releases with copy-protection in 2006, as will rival label EMI.

Craig S · 11-21-2005, 03:04 PM

The Great State of Texas is suing Sony/BMG under its new anti-spyware law:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051121/...NlYwMlJVRPUCUl

As they say in the ads... Don't Mess With Texas!!!

Marc Colella · 11-21-2005, 03:18 PM

@ Sony

Artur Meinild · 11-24-2005, 10:40 AM

Yeah, it's really nice to see the big companies set a good example for all of us when it comes to music and piracy

Sony has now shown everyone the way.

According to their philosophy it's OK to install insecure software on a persons PC without telling them.
It's OK to use open source software without acknowledging the license.
It's OK when you are caught out, at first, to deny everything and try to lie your way out of it.

If we all follow Sonys example it's OK to do anything we want with music and software... Because their actions (which speak louder than words) have shown that it's OK to do whatever you want as long as you don't get caught.

Sony will burn in hell for this...

MarkHastings · 11-24-2005, 10:57 AM

SO true Artur! I never thought of it like that before. For all the rage over piracy, SONY sure doesn't mind figthing illegal acts with their own illegal acts

p.s. I was going to buy 2 CD's this past weekend. I bought one, but put the other back because I saw the anti-theft BMG/SONY logo on the back.

Another lost sale for SONY! :p)

Jay_B! · 11-24-2005, 02:34 PM

out of curiosity, is there any point in buying copy-protected cd's in the store at this point? At least if you download it from iTunes, you have the ability to, I dunno, be able to burn it onto another CD and listen to it on your ipod.

Whoever thought of copy-protected cd's is a freaking idiot. I understand copy-protected DVD's because it's not like people will burn mixed DVD's of "chapter 17 of Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers followed by chapter 4 of Spiderman 2 followed by chapter 30 of Revenge Of The Sith", etc... but with cd's, most people I know will actually leave the physical cd's at home and burn themselves a "best of" collection for the car. My car cd player has a tendency to scratch discs so I have a ton of cd-r's in the car while the original copies are in my bedroom. The record companies I suppose have the right intentions, but they really do forget what ipods are about and why people will spend hundreds of dollars for as many gigs as possible to put all their music onto.