SECURITY NEWS: Sony & Rootkits

[Platypus]

Prior to MP3 etc, a potentially fair solution was the distinction between Music/Audio recordables and Data ones, the Data ones were cheaper, the Music ones had a royalty included in the price.

Music CDs were required for stand-alone CD recorders to work, and anyone who wanted to use other means to dub off an extra copy for the car or whatever could use Music disks and be covered legally, as royalties were paid.

People using disks for data, or material they owned the copyright to, were not penalised by having to pay a levy that covered other peoples copyright usage. People who used cheaper data disks for copying music left themselves open to a (remote) risk of prosecution, that was their choice.

Unfortunately this method doesn't work properly when there isn't a 1-to-1 transfer. An MP3 CD like I use in my personal CD player might have 8 or 10 albums on it. A Music CD-R will only have a royalty component for one CD's worth of music.

Still, it would be interesting to know what would happen if the RIAA tried to prosecute someone for downloading copyright material, and that person presented their copies of the said material on levied disks - royalties paid.

[TechZ]

In an attempt to make up with consumers whose PCs have been exposed to unsecure copy-protection software which acts like malware, music publisher Sony BMG said on Friday it would swap unsecure CDs for new unprotected disks as well as unprotected MP3 files.

The XCP program will have installed itself on a Windows-operated personal computer when consumers want to play 52 title CDs from Sony BMG. The vast majority of the CDs were sold in the United States.

So now they're giving unprotected CD's/MP3 files for 52 titles. That number is slowly rising.

[confus-ed]

So now they're giving unprotected CD's/MP3 files for 52 titles. That number is slowly rising.

'Ed does a little 'I told ya so' dance

[NooNoo]

That was a dead cert 'Ed... no bookie would have given you more than 10p for a 100 quid bet!

[Matridom]

You are paying for it anyway in the price of the original cd whether you make any copies or not, for folks like sony to invent 'daft' copy protection systems - so my view is put the cost where it ought to be, either on recorders or blank media (& I think its fairest on blanks, that way the more you do the more you pay). The German blank cd levy I believe is 5%, so how much are blanks now 20p or so ? - so an extra 1p each ?

Here is my issue with this system.

I buy blank media for data storage, Backing up to DVD is great, lot's of storage space, fast effective. Why should i pay for music/media royalties when i'm never going to use the media for those purposes.

I'll tell you right now, i don't have a single MP3/song on my computer.

Why should i get *shafted* so others can feel better about protecting something i care nothing about?

[confus-ed]

Why should i get *shafted* so others can feel better about protecting something i care nothing about?

You shouldn't, but then again I pay tax for a whole heap of stuff I care nothing about, life's a bitch !

[TechZ]

RIAA president Cary Sherman has backed Sony's use of spyware rootkits and claims that other companies do it all the time. Sherman said that music corporations have the same right to protection as movie studios, video game makers, or software companies.

He said that there was nothing unusual about technology being used to protect intellectual property. He said that you can't make an extra copy of Windows or virtually any other software. Why should CDs be any different? The only problem he had with the Sony BMG situation was that the technology it used contained a security vulnerability.

Full story: The Inquirer | Full Interview

Well who else would...these are the same people who have in the past wanted people who download copyright material to face hack attacks and have their data destroyed.

[RejectionMan]

Here is my issue with this system.

I buy blank media for data storage, Backing up to DVD is great, lot's of storage space, fast effective. Why should i pay for music/media royalties when i'm never going to use the media for those purposes.

I'll tell you right now, i don't have a single MP3/song on my computer.

Why should i get *shafted* so others can feel better about protecting something i care nothing about?

You already are getting shafted, Canada Also has a levy on blank media. If you buy your media at london drugs (and some other retailers, typicaly bulk) then you don't get shafted, becasue they dont support the levy, or expect you to resale the productand collect the levy yourself.

In my mind if they RIAA or the MPAA ever comes for me I will just point at the levy and say you need to collect your royaltys from the government of canada becasue they collected $X from each CD on your behalf.

The stupid part is its all going into a slush fund for the government, I havent heard of one person/artist/group/label getting anything from the levy...

[RejectionMan]

He said that you can't make an extra copy of Windows or virtually any other software. Why should CDs be any different? The only problem he had with the Sony BMG situation was that the technology it used contained a security vulnerability.

Bull. You can make 1 copy of any data CD/DVD for backup perposes. Just like you should beable to do for audio/movie media. Why should I have to by a new copy for each device/collection. 1 in the car, 1 for home entertainment, 1 for the computer(s). Im already licensed for 1, let me freekn us it.

Furthermore why should I be forced to buy another copy (license) when the original media gets damaged becasue I was not allowed to make a back up. All Screams cash grab to me. Talk to an artist some time, more than half of them would like nothing better than to see the RIAA fall on its *** on this one. Hell, the small band who dont havea lable supporting them are actualy making $$ now by selling there music online, artistic expression is no longer the vision of some media executive and that's what has the RIAA pissed more than anything. the end of there tyranical reign is in sight.

[Matridom]

You already are getting shafted, Canada Also has a levy on blank media. If you buy your media at london drugs (and some other retailers, typicaly bulk) then you don't get shafted, becasue they dont support the levy, or expect you to resale the productand collect the levy yourself.

Most computer stores don't do the levy, i know where i shop, i skip out on all that extra hoopla and get really good prices.

I laughed when they tried to levy hard drives cause they could be used to store music...

[Ferrit]

The more I read about Sony and the RIAA the more retarded they look.
I guess they think were all just plain stoopid out here.
Boy are they in for a surprise

[NooNoo]

drove my chevy to the levy, but the levy was dry....

[Ferrit]

And the wheels on the bus keep going round and round
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5...ml?tag=nl.e589

[rgharper]

... not enough love and understanding
we could use some love to ease these troubled times ...

[Ferrit]

... not enough love and understanding
we could use some love to ease these troubled times ...

No we could use some of all that coin
This has all the earmarkings of a made for tv millionaire deal