Boycott Sony

[Jaakko]

Originally posted by Odin


WTF?

It's long been a thorn in video game companies' flesh. Back in the '80s Nintendo even sued Blockbuster over rentals. I also heard that rentals are illegal in Japan, but haven't actually found confirmation.

[SlowwHand]

Ok. Let's talk about just the CD aspect.
You buy, it's yours, and Sony is trying make it where you can't play it in safety nor rip it. Ripping is not against the law. MP3 players, are not against the law. Opening your pc to vulnerability, if it's illegal, which I believe it is, it's certainly unethical and poor business practice.

This doesn't even address components.

[Thorn]

That seals it, I'm buying an XBOX360 instead of PS3.... sony can go F*** themselves.

[SlowwHand]

You go get this? Download it and save it.

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/securityrisk.aries.html

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by The Mad Monk

Find the following entry in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ System\ CurrentControlSet\ Services\ CdRom

Click on it, find the AutoRun key, and set its value from 1 to 0.

You can also use TweakUI/PowerToys to do it.

XP version

[Mercator]

Or just hold down Shift when you're inserting a CD.

[Nostromo]

Jason Grime from Microsoft's Anti-Malware Technology Team announced today that the company's Windows AntiSpyware product, currently in beta testing, will be enhanced to detect and remove Sony's rootkit-style Digital Rights Management software, known as XCP, that is installed with certain protected Sony audio CDs.

We use a set of objective criteria for both Windows Defender and the Malicious Software Removal Tool to determine what software will be classified for detection and removal by our anti-malware technology. We have analyzed this software, and have determined that in order to help protect our customers we will add a detection and removal signature for the rootkit component of the XCP software to the Windows AntiSpyware beta, which is currently used by millions of users.

The new detection code will be released shortly, and will be automatically distributed to Windows AntiSpyware users as a part of regular reference file updates. In addition, Grime says Microsoft will add detection of XCP to the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool in its December monthly update. This tool is delivered to customers via the company's Windows Update and Microsoft Update websites.

The rootkit was originally discovered by Mark Russinovich of Sysinternals last week. The discovery has led to widespread complaints from the user community and a number of lawsuits in the United States and internationally. Sony has since agreed to discontinue use of the rootkit and has begun cooperating with antivirus vendors for its removal from infected computers, but today's announcement mentions no collaboration between Sony and Microsoft for removal of the code.

[SlowwHand]

The rootkit was originally discovered by Mark Russinovich of Sysinternals last week.

This is who developed program that was deleted from earlier post.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Odin


WTF?

Of course. Why would the maker of video games want a rental store to rent their games to people? They want everyone to have to pay $49.95 to them not $4.95 to the rental company.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Of course. Why would the maker of video games want a rental store to rent their games to people? They want everyone to have to pay $49.95 to them not $4.95 to the rental company.

Not to mention that, they probably think that anybody who rents a game is going to make a copy of the CD at home.

[Odin]

Originally posted by Oerdin


Of course. Why would the maker of video games want a rental store to rent their games to people? They want everyone to have to pay $49.95 to them not $4.95 to the rental company.

Maybe the players want to preview before they b... Oh, wait, thats right, the game execs ain't smart enough to figure that out.

[SlowwHand]

Yeah, tell me you never bought a game you wish you hadn't bought.
Flip side of the coin is they attact buyers through rentals. You going to play a game on a rental? Try it, not ongoing.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
Yeah, tell me you never bought a game you wish you hadn't bought.

I hope "you" here refers to the game publishers execs.

Then again, they may not have bought any games.

[SlowwHand]

No. I'm talking about me wishing i never bought Civ 3, for instance.
Had I rented it, I would never have bought it. On the other hand, many might.

[quote]The EFF reads Sony's music CD EULA

------------------ http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004145.php

Now the Legalese Rootkit: Sony-BMG's EULA November 09, 2005 If you thought XCP "rootkit" copy-protection on Sony-BMG CDs was bad, perhaps you'd better read the 3,000 word (!) end-user license agreement (aka "EULA") that comes with all these CDs.

First, a baseline. When you buy a regular CD, you own it. You do not "license" it. You own it outright. You're allowed to do anything with it you like, so long as you don't violate one of the exclusive rights reserved to the copyright owner. So you can play the CD at your next dinner party (copyright owners get no rights over private performances), you can loan it to a friend (thanks to the "first sale" doctrine), or make a copy for use on your iPod (thanks to "fair use"). Every use that falls outside the limited exclusive rights of the copyright owner belongs to you, the owner of the CD.

Now compare that baseline with the world according to the Sony-BMG EULA, which applies to any digital copies you make of the music on the CD:

1.. 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.

2.. You can't keep your music on any computers at work. The EULA only gives you the right to put copies on a "personal home computer system owned by you."

3.. If you move out of the country, you have to delete all your music. The EULA specifically forbids "export" outside the country where you reside.

4.. You must install any and all updates, or else lose the music on your computer. The EULA immediately terminates if you fail to install any update. No more holding out on those hobble-ware downgrades masquerading as updates.

5.. Sony-BMG can install and use backdoors in the copy protection software or media player to "enforce their rights" against you, at any time, without notice. And Sony-BMG disclaims any liability if this "self help" crashes your computer, exposes you to security risks, or any other harm.

6.. The EULA says Sony-BMG will never be liable to you for more than $5.00. That's right, no matter what happens, you can't even get back what you paid for the CD.

7.. If you file for bankruptcy, you have to delete all the music on your computer. Seriously.

8.. You have no right to transfer the music on your computer, even along with the original CD.

9.. Forget about using the music as a soundtrack for your latest family photo slideshow, or mash-ups, or sampling. The EULA forbids changing, altering, or make derivative works from the music on your computer.

So this is what Sony-BMG thinks we should be allowed to do with the music on the CDs that we purchase from them? No word yet about whether Sony-BMG will be offering a "patch" for this legalese rootkit. I'm not holding my breath.

[SpencerH]

The bastards are giving up (on this issue anyway). Another victory for the consumer,

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2005-11-14-sony-cds_x.htm

LOS ANGELES — Sony BMG Music Entertainment said Monday it will pull some of its most popular CDs from stores in response to backlash over copy-protection software on the discs. (Related item: Firestorm rages over lockdown on digital music)
Sony also said it will offer exchanges for consumers who purchased the discs, which contain hidden files that leave them vulnerable to computer viruses when played on a PC.

"Sony BMG deeply regrets any inconvenience to our customers and remains committed to providing an enjoyable and safe music experience," the company said. Sony says more than 20 titles have been released with the XCP copy-protection software, and of those CDs, over 4 million have been manufactured, and 2.1 million sold.

Details about how long it will take to replace the XCP CDs and about its consumer exchange program will come later in the week, Sony said.

For now, pulling the CDs off shelves "could go a long way toward making a consumer feel comfortable that the CD they just purchased isn't going to mess up their computer," says record store owner John Kunz of Waterloo Records in Austin.

Country-rockers Van Zant's Get Right with the Man kicked off the firestorm when a blogger traced a hidden, spyware-type file on his computer to the CD. Other XCP copy-protected CDs include new releases by Neil Diamond, Celine Dion, Cyndi Lauper and Burt Bacharach.

Before Sony's announcement, Van Zant manager Ross Schilling urged the label to recall all the CDs. "I said we've got to be proactive, or it could destroy the business model," Schilling says. "Sony should be in the artist business, promoting and selling records. This type of issue sheds a negative light on their ability to do that."

Sony began adding copy-protection to its CDs in June 2004 with the release of a record by the band Velvet Revolver, saying it was taking a step against unauthorized online file-sharing and CD burning.

The label says it will issue all major releases with copy-protection in 2006, as will rival label EMI. The other major labels, Universal Music and Warner, have yet to release copy-protected CDs.

Sony also issues copy-protected CDs using software from digital rights management company SunnComm. But those, which include releases by the Foo Fighters and the Dave Matthews Band, haven't come under the same kind of attack.

However, many artists have spoken out about all forms of copy-protected CDs, including Matthews, the Foo Fighters and Christian rock band Switchfoot. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones are set to release a new album on Sony in January, and it will not be copy protected, says Fleck's manager, David Bendett.

Frustrated when he bought a copy-protected Dave Matthews release and couldn't copy it to his Apple iPod, Fleck insisted that Sony not release his new album with such restrictions, Bendett says.

Sony says its copy-protected CDs are clearly marked, but the front labels don't identify whether they use the XCP software. That information is included in small print on the back of the CD, which reads "?cp.sonybmg.com/xcp".