BMG/Sony Employs the Use of malware as "DRM"

lech

This is a rather interesting series of entries I ran across while doing my monthly RSS run (go figure). It's highly entertaining to watch one of my old employers dig themselves into a hole. Detailed Overview 1) http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=919 2) http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=920 3) http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=921 The total tech breakdown: 4) http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights.html I guess we can now come up with a series of new meanings for the DRM acronym. Don't Remove Me? Doomed Registry Mismanagement? The one thing I find a bit funny is the fact that 99% of all these "DRM" installers target windows machines. I haven't heard anything about trying to play one of these CD's on a Mac/*Nix setup. However I'm fairly certain the kids in those areas can freely burn or completely circumvent the obstacle with the right tools to rip the music.

Kosmo

That has been the big news in Finland for a while at IT circles, apparently Macs and *nix environments run those CDs just perfect, no problem or RootKits at all, so it's mainly somesort of "malware" targetted to Winnie users. But along comes Finnish Internet security company F-Secure and develops a RootKit remover/blocker in to their newest version of Internet Security sorftware. Altho F-Secure has deemed the software harmless. But I can rest easy knowing that I won't be buying Sony-BMG music NOR would I ever consider buying anything Sony ever again. They have shown on several occasions how bitch they can be when they want to be, not caring about customers at all.

lech

But you have to admit, this is just one of those prime examples of how and why not to DRM music/movie media. It's going to get to a point where if you want to play that cd in the future, you're going to need military strength cryptography just to decypher it. It's getting really sad really fast.

Kosmo

It becomes harder and harder to be a "good consumer" and just bend over, even tho I'm not much of an activist, I have begun to support various efforts to rid the world of these kind of decisions that big corporations make just to secure their own ass. It used to be the consumers market where those companies served US, but it has turned the other way around, WE serve the companies, and we have to ask if we can do certain things with the product that we BOUGHT.

Felipe

They are perhaps going to taste what "Computer Fraud and Abuse Act" (your 3rd link) is in US or article 323-3 of Code Pénal in France(http://blog2.lemondeinformatique.fr/management_du_si/2005/11/petit_rappel_ju.html) and so on in each country ... It will depend on interpretation of their EULA by many judges I believe.

Mark

NOR would I ever consider buying anything Sony ever again

Sony is a little too pervasive in our society for that to be a reality. Are you going to *not* buy a cd because it was produced by Sony? What if a stack of 50 sony writeables was on sale and cheaper than any of the competition? What if they released the next grand theft auto on PS3 exclusively?

Plus, sony makes the sexiest laptops on the PC market right now (imho).

lech

I don't think you can avoid not purchasing a sony product these days, it's tough. In many ways you're sometimes buying or using something indirectly without even realizing it. From chips to cd's and software, it's in one item or another somewhere. I would just avoid purchasing any DRM'd music, as I find it a totally pointless waste of time.

Kosmo

As I look around my office and looked around my home this morning, I can say that it is easy to not buy anything made by Sony, well atleast here in Finland it is, I don't know how it is in America, the country that masically IS a huge corporation and resembles a country sized wallmart. But granted, I mainly ment their bigger products, like the PS3, PSP the sthinking VAIOs and such, not the batteries and such, but will continue avoiding them if possible. Besides, who the hell plays GTA? Or burns CDs anymore? There are better games and it's almost cheaper and not to mention more convinient to just buy a HDD.

stuart

I couldn't avoid Sny, I would have to get rid of my beautiful white PSP and Taiko no Tatsujin, 'tis a thing to behold.

Kosmo

Sony has updated it's copyprotection software, it no longer installs itself in to the users computer without the userknowing it, and Sony has stated that you now can remove the software as easily as any program.

lament

supposedly PestPatrol gets rid of the Sony rootkit..