Screwed by Sony Music CDs

[Nacho]

Sorry, I've read it but my English is too poor to understand some things. I think I've understood correctly (If I am wrong point it please)

-If you copy a cd more times than the CD allows, some software is installed in your system.
-That program slows 1 or 2 % the performance of the CPU.
-If you try to uninstall it, it screws some ofÃ,  your configuration.
-There is no uninstall function in that program "per se".
-It is cloaked...

What I don't know is:

-What is the program? Some kind of spyware to track the CPU of the person who did the copies? A worm program? Or the only penalty is the slowing of the procedures of the CPU?

Thanks.

[Squinky]

Man, it would suck being the first artist they decided to put this on...Wouldn't sell too many albums I would suspect...

[Ishmael]

-If you copy a cd more times than the CD allows, some software is installed in your system.

The rootkit business is installed when you put the CD into the drive. The CD refuses to play on any other program than the one that is on the CD, I gathered.

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

Ok, I'm not sure whether this is what one of the earlier links in this thread is about, but still good, I guess. I got this in my daily Al Lowe's Cyberjoke's comments:

"CyberJokester Wallace Krebs has an update on the Sony rootkit story. They received so much heat over it that they now offer a patch to remove the virus and give you back control over your CD drive.  If you've
played a newer Sony/BMG audio CD recently, the patch is here:
http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/updates.html
Thanks, Wallace!"

[shbaz]

"CyberJokester Wallace Krebs has an update on the Sony rootkit story. They received so much heat over it that they now offer a patch to remove the virus and give you back control over your CD drive.

Oddly enough, according to Slashdot comments the patch phones home to alert Sony that you've patched. The (rootkit) proggy phones home every time you play or attempt to play the CD too.

[Traveler]

Sony has been sued in a class-action lawsuit in California and there is a federal class-action lawsuit in the works - according to news on Mark Russinovich's blog.

In Italy, police is investigating Sony and hopefully Endland's Scotland Yard will move too, against First 4 Internet (the criminals who developed the virus that Sony installed on users' computers.)

I seriously hope that Sony gets badly burnt in this - they deserve everything bad that could possibly happen to them. One thing is for sure: the next time I'm (or my company is) buying a Sony product, year will start with '3'.

[Barbarian]

Another recent news-link regarding some lawsuits Sony is facing regarding the mess:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4424254.stm

I hope they get burned good and learn that they went way over the line with their sneaky malware/spyware crapp.

[Squinky]

http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2005/11/sony_exec_warne.html

[Barbarian]

It was bound to happen.. new viruses now taking advantage of Sony's rootkit:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4427606.stm

[Helm]

this thread is wonderful. everything just keeps getting worse!

[Traveler]

I tend to agree with you. I hope Sony gets it this time - I wouldn't even mind if the class-action lawyers get away with all the money, just make sure they hit Sony where it hurts.

[RickJ]

Yet another interesting link ...

• The Sony Boycott Blog
  
  Edit:  And if you live in NY or California you can join a class action lawsuit.  Check it out here: http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004149.php

[Janik]

The blowback is unfortunately starting to affect the artists who had this copy protection put on their CDs. Take a look at the latest customer reviews for The Dead 60s record:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009I7NO4/qid=1131766102/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-0433652-8153548?v=glance&s=music&n=507846

It's a really good music, it's just too bad for the band to have to be the victim of this little experiment.

[RickJ]

Here is the latest I've heard about this.  Take a look at what Sony say you are allowed to do with their lousy CDs.

• Sony's EULA explained by EFF

[Barbarian]

Sony must really be feeling the heat now... There are several class-action lawsuits now pending against them over the whole mess. Sony has now "tempoarily" stopped making CD's with that particular rootkit on it. And even Micro$oft now says Sony's rootkit is classified as spyware and will be giving users means to detect and remove it with an upcoming update of it's anti-spyware software:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4434852.stm
Ã,  Ã, Nice to see that it's been exposed as it has been, and not just "swept under the rug" as so many big rich corporations usually mange to do with negative publicity.

On another note, there's aÃ,  program (Exact Audio Copy) I seen recommended from a link from one of the new-articles I've read on this, that will allow you to easily grab music from CD and make them into file on your computer for use, and will also grab music from Sony's XCP protected CDs as well if you've "...turned off autorun and avoided infection by XCP".

http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/Ã,  , it's basically free to get, but sort of considered a shareware program as the guy asks if you like the program to just send him a "postcard and a stamp".Ã,  Ã, Anyways, it might be worth checking out.

[shbaz]

And even Micro$oft now says Sony's rootkit is classified as spyware and will be giving users means to detect and remove it with an upcoming update of it's anti-spyware software:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4434852.stm

It doesn't surprise you that Microsoft would helpt to publicly make Sony look bad, does it?

[RickJ]

On another note, there's a  program (Exact Audio Copy) I seen recommended from a link from one of the new-articles I've read on this, that will allow you to easily grab music from CD and make them into file on your computer for use, and will also grab music from Sony's XCP protected CDs as well if you've "...turned off autorun and avoided infection by XCP".

So the thing to do is go out and buy all the XCP CDs you can find, rip them with this thing and then go back to the record store and demand your money back.  Tell tell them the ELUA terms are not acceptable.  If they don't give the mone back go to small claims court where you are sure to prevail, as the terms of the ageement aren;t divulged until you break the shrink wrap and pop the thing into your computer.  The interesting thing about small claims court is that lawyers aren't allowed in.  So as I understand it, if one were to  sue Sony in small claims court, what one would do in fact is to name one of the corporate officers or board members of the corporation in the suit.  They would have to travel to your city and spend the day in the court room just like the rest of us scumbags.  You could ask for a judgement for the amount you paid for the CD ($18.00) plus the court filling fee ($35.00) and whatever it cost you to have the papers served on the defendant ($50.00 ).   

In all likelyhood you would prevail on the basis that the terms of the ELUA agreement were not revealed until the CD was inserted into a computer and that upon reading those terms you did not agree to them and that you wish to return the merchandise for a full refund.   The really cool thing is that even if you loose, you are out  less than a 100 spot but that important SOB had to spend at least one day with a lawyer and another day traveling, and another day in court to explain himself in front of a judge.   It would only take a few hundred such lawsuits to keep'em busy for a long time.     

Update:
It seems Sony has yet another DRM scheme nearly as bad as the last one.  The article is  here:    
Groklaw - More Sony DRM Hijinks - Now It's MediaMax

[shbaz]

The store who sold you the CD would most likely be held liable, though I don't doubt that it's possible to get Sony.

[Barbarian]

Wow, Sony must be a bit worried now about the whole XPC mess they caused... that or perhaps feeling the pressure from too many law-suits and/or perhaps loss of sales ofÃ,  customers (and potential customers) who may be angry over Sony's sneaky and damaging methods. Anyways, in the news: "Sony recalls copy-protected CDs":
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4441928.stm

Boy-o-boy, it just gets worse.. Even if you Uninstal Sony's XCP, it leaves a backdoor open for hackers & viruses, and users who have or did have Son'y XCP crap on their computer could have their system infected simply by visiting a malicious website:
"...It warned that anyone who has uninstalled Sony BMG's controversial XCP copy protection system and visits these sites could find their computer is attacked by malicious hackers."
More about it here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4445550.stm

[Traveler]

Sony has been sued by the State of Texas and it made the news on Fox 4 (I don't know about other channels; I accidentally watched it when they started talking about it.)

If someone is interested, here are a few links about DRM news when it hits computers/TVs (worth reading to embrace the brave new world of Sony and RIAA):

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,122738,00.asp

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,122843,00.asp

http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,115057,00.asp

If you happen to be a movie/computer freak (I am), get a new computer this year - if I'm right, Intel releases the first motherboards with onboard DRM chips next year.