Sony sued over copy-protected CDs

[BPitt]

from one hand Sony is trying to protect the rights, but from other hand it's silly since there is always a way... and to post virus --- what will do sony when they get one ??

 

i don't like much this company

[Dechen]

i'm going crazy here now. i just bought this computer for $1700 and totally bankrupted me and now facing this problem. I've played ONCP several times on my comp and uploaded three songs from the cd onto my comp. and on the back of cd it says somethin abt XCP, so does that mean my cd got the virus? I'm totally bankrupt for sure now.

[Bellamy]

SonyBMG offers the gift of song in spyware dispute

 

SONYBMG, the world’s second-largest music company, has offered to make payments of millions of dollars to smooth over its botched attempt to install copyright protection software without computer owners’ permission.

The record company has offered to withdraw the disputed software and pay consumers who have been affected $7.50 (£4.36) and offer them the chance to download one free album. People not wanting to take the cash can download three free albums instead.

 

Scott Kamber, the New York lawyer who led the case against the music giant, said: “We have reached a settlement with all the parties. That settlement provides real value for money to the class [of people affected] in a timely manner.”

 

SonyBMG ran into trouble in November, when it emerged that the record company had inserted a copyright protection programme, called XCP, on to its CDs. The software — described by critics as “spyware” — covertly installed itself when music was played via a computer. Security experts said that it could open up computers to unexpected hacker attack.

 

It is not clear how many people were affected but albums by Neil Diamond, Celine Dion and Natasha Bedingfield were among those that were sold with XCP. SonyBMG has not confirmed how many were sold but on one estimate it could have been installed on 560,000 computers worldwide.

 

The settlement offer has to be formally approved by a judge in New York on January 6 before it becomes effective.

Source: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/...1964381,00.html

[Krys]

SonyBMG offers the gift of song in spyware dispute

 

SONYBMG, the world’s second-largest music company, has offered to make payments of millions of dollars to smooth over its botched attempt to install copyright protection software without computer owners’ permission.

The record company has offered to withdraw the disputed software and pay consumers who have been affected $7.50 (£4.36) and offer them the chance to download one free album. People not wanting to take the cash can download three free albums instead.

 

Scott Kamber, the New York lawyer who led the case against the music giant, said: “We have reached a settlement with all the parties. That settlement provides real value for money to the class [of people affected] in a timely manner.”

 

SonyBMG ran into trouble in November, when it emerged that the record company had inserted a copyright protection programme, called XCP, on to its CDs. The software — described by critics as “spyware” — covertly installed itself when music was played via a computer. Security experts said that it could open up computers to unexpected hacker attack.

 

It is not clear how many people were affected but albums by Neil Diamond, Celine Dion and Natasha Bedingfield were among those that were sold with XCP. SonyBMG has not confirmed how many were sold but on one estimate it could have been installed on 560,000 computers worldwide.

 

The settlement offer has to be formally approved by a judge in New York on January 6 before it becomes effective.

Source: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/...1964381,00.html

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let em loose their money...

 

it would be kinda nice to get 3 free albums

[Céline's Blues]

SonyBMG offers the gift of song in spyware dispute

 

SONYBMG, the world’s second-largest music company, has offered to make payments of millions of dollars to smooth over its botched attempt to install copyright protection software without computer owners’ permission.

The record company has offered to withdraw the disputed software and pay consumers who have been affected $7.50 (£4.36) and offer them the chance to download one free album. People not wanting to take the cash can download three free albums instead.

 

Scott Kamber, the New York lawyer who led the case against the music giant, said: “We have reached a settlement with all the parties. That settlement provides real value for money to the class [of people affected] in a timely manner.”

 

SonyBMG ran into trouble in November, when it emerged that the record company had inserted a copyright protection programme, called XCP, on to its CDs. The software — described by critics as “spyware” — covertly installed itself when music was played via a computer. Security experts said that it could open up computers to unexpected hacker attack.

 

It is not clear how many people were affected but albums by Neil Diamond, Celine Dion and Natasha Bedingfield were among those that were sold with XCP. SonyBMG has not confirmed how many were sold but on one estimate it could have been installed on 560,000 computers worldwide.

 

The settlement offer has to be formally approved by a judge in New York on January 6 before it becomes effective.

Source: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/...1964381,00.html

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let em loose their money...

 

it would be kinda nice to get 3 free albums

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If we hate them so much as we do we could download some ten or twenty free Sony albums from Soulseek or DC++. hahaha

[Krys]

SonyBMG offers the gift of song in spyware dispute

 

SONYBMG, the world’s second-largest music company, has offered to make payments of millions of dollars to smooth over its botched attempt to install copyright protection software without computer owners’ permission.

The record company has offered to withdraw the disputed software and pay consumers who have been affected $7.50 (£4.36) and offer them the chance to download one free album. People not wanting to take the cash can download three free albums instead.

 

Scott Kamber, the New York lawyer who led the case against the music giant, said: “We have reached a settlement with all the parties. That settlement provides real value for money to the class [of people affected] in a timely manner.”

 

SonyBMG ran into trouble in November, when it emerged that the record company had inserted a copyright protection programme, called XCP, on to its CDs. The software — described by critics as “spyware” — covertly installed itself when music was played via a computer. Security experts said that it could open up computers to unexpected hacker attack.

 

It is not clear how many people were affected but albums by Neil Diamond, Celine Dion and Natasha Bedingfield were among those that were sold with XCP. SonyBMG has not confirmed how many were sold but on one estimate it could have been installed on 560,000 computers worldwide.

 

The settlement offer has to be formally approved by a judge in New York on January 6 before it becomes effective.

Source: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/...1964381,00.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

let em loose their money...

 

it would be kinda nice to get 3 free albums

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If we hate them so much as we do we could download some ten or twenty free Sony albums from Soulseek or DC++. hahaha

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

i've been doing that for ages on limewire

[Bellamy]

take the cash is a better idea.

[Bellamy]

Lavasoft ARIES Rootkit Remover

 

Lavasoft is pleased to launch a new Project ECO Tool, the ARIES Rootkit Remover, to get rid of the rootkit developed by First4Internet used by Sony BMG to hide their DRM (Digital Rights Management) software.

The ARIES Rootkit Remover developed by Lavasoft provides the means to locate and permanently remove the Sony rootkit from the system and disable the rootkit's ability to run once more after reboot. This standalone tool is a reliable, trustworthy, and safe way of removing the rootkit--unlike Sony's own rootkit remover that has been known to cause blue screens.

 

This primarily protects consumers and ensures privacy. The tool is developed by Lavasoft in line with our common goals to steer computing environment towards better standards.

Download it from here: http://updates.ls-servers.com/AriesRemoverInst.exe

 

BTW, Lavasoft is the developer of famous Ad-Aware remover. a very reliable company for Ad-Aware removal.

[Etpuisunjour]

The Sony software totally killed my 6-month old DVD-RW drive. The drive cost me $200 when I bought it. I ended up having to replace it with a cheap $60 drive because I couldn't afford to get the same brand again.

 

I spent over a week, every night after work, searching the Internet for any possible solution to get my drive working again. I actually had no trouble removing the software (I had installed an FTP client that morning, and Windows saw fit to create a System Restore point because of it, thank God), but the damage to my drive was apparently permanent.

 

And the worst part of it all was discovering that I didn't need to install the software to rip the music to my hdd. Apparently Exact Audio Copy can read through the copy protection easily. But I had (note 'past tense') Autorun enabled, and I stupidly thought that the software couldn't be that bad. I'm always looking for a good media player.

 

I'll give Sony some credit for replacing my CD at least. But I will never install software from another CD again. Chalk it up to experience.

[Bellamy]

More Canadian Action Against Sony-BMG

 

February 5, 2006

Drew Wilson

 

 

Jeannine Palmer and Janet Cook are the latest plaintiffs in the fourth class action lawsuit against Sony BMG Music (Canada) Inc., Sony-BMG Music Entertainment and First4Internet. Michael Geist reported the filing of this lawsuit in his latest blog entry, and provided the statement of claim against the entertainment companies. The lawsuit was dated January 16, 2006.

 

The lawsuit claims that Sony-BMG had breached the manufacturer’s warranty, the terms under the EULA (End User License Agreement), and the consumer protection legislation. If the defendants are found guilty, the damages could be paying 65 million dollars in damages and aggravated damages, exemplary damages and punitive damages totaling 25 million dollars.

 

The lawsuit also states, "While Sony eventually recalled the CDs on November 30, 2005, in Canada, that contained XCP system, the web-based uninstaller by then developed was investigated by noted researchers Ed Felton and J. Alex Halderman, who discovered that the ActiveX component used for removing the software exposed users to far more significant security risks, including arbitrary code execution from any site on the internet."

 

The lawsuit notes that since March of 2005, Sony distributed 52 music titles with XCP, shipping 5 million CDs and selling 2 million of them. In Canada in particular, "Sony BMG distributed at least 34 titles with XCP...Approximately 120 thousand CDs were sold..."

 

Switchfoot, a Canadia rock group, went public with the issue stating that they were "horrified." Many bands affected promptly offered free MP3 alternatives on their website. The paper states, "Sony's artists include Canadians, whose titles were sold with the artist [unaware] of XCP including the artist Celine Dion."

 

Other interesting aspects of the lawsuit include:

 

"30. The Plaintiffs and Class Members plead that subject to s. 17(1) of the Consumer Protection Act, no person shall engage in an unfair practice, and (2) A person who performs one act referred to in section 14, 15 or 16 shall be deemed to be engaging in an unfair practice."

 

"34. Subject to s. 51 of the Sales of goods Act, where there is a breach of warranty by the seller, or where the buyer elects, or is compelled, to treat a breach of a condition on the part of the seller as a breach of warranty, the buyer is not by reason only of such breach of warranty entitled to reject the goods, but may, (a) set up against the seller the breach of warranty in diminution or extinction of the price; or ( maintain an action against the seller for damages for the breach of warranty."

 

"50. Risks, among others, in addition to affecting the performance of the computer, include enabling unauthorized third-parties to gain access to the computer system."

 

"59. The plaintiffs and Class Members plead that this response was approximately two weeks slower than that in the US, for which a similar announcement was made on or about November 18, 2005."

 

"61. The plaintiffs and Class Members plead that matters were made more difficult, in that while some CDs marked are containing XCP did not, others which were unmarked for XCP, did contain XCP and were, for most users, without investing a lot of time studying the issue, virtually impossible to detect."

 

"63. It was only on November 18, 2005, and November 30, 2005 for Canadians, that Sony BMG stated publicly on its website that it had learned that a virus could be written to conceal itself inside the XCP software in a manner difficult for anti-virus programs to detect."

 

"65. Sony BMG publicly, even as late as on or about November 4, 2005, took the position and made statements that 'Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?'"

 

"80. The plaintiffs and Class Members plead that although Song BMG made statements that it is working with its retail partners to withdraw CDs with XCP software from distribution and retail chains, and that it has asked retailers to cease sale of those discs and to return them to Sony BMG, and that this withdrawal program has been and is being widely communicated, many of the XCP CDs remain on the shelf at major retail outlets in Canada at the time of the issuance of this pleading in January of 2006."

 

Humorously, it seems as though in the United States, major record labels file lawsuits against many consumers; in Canada, it's the other way around.

Source: http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=1082

 

I'm glad someone told the truth of SONY did it without artists aware of it. I hate some people accuse Celine for the stupid act of SONY.

[Lina]

OMG Sony is really annoying me now!

 

They make Céline look stupid even though it´s not her fault at all. Aren´t there enough virus problems already? What´s wrong with those guys But I agree with you Bellamy

[Bellamy]

I think the artists including Celine should sue SONY MUSIC for that!!!

[Lina]

That´s true, they really should! Because that virus makes harm both to them and to their fans! Edited February 6, 2006 at 10:54 AM by Lina

[Krys]

I think the artists including Celine should sue SONY MUSIC for that!!!

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That´s true, they really should! Because that virus makes harm both to them and to their fans!

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too true i wouldnt be too happy if the entire computer crashes out or even part of it! its soooooooooo annoying that they are not gonna pay you for what their friggin software did to the computer

 

SUE! SUE! SUE!!!

[Lina]

too true i wouldnt be too happy if the entire computer crashes out or even part of it! its soooooooooo annoying that they are not gonna pay you for what their friggin software did to the computer

 

I wouldn´t be happy either. Really, really annoying. Let´s send them a bomb lol

[Celine-Express]

Yep,Sony!!

[Krys]

too true i wouldnt be too happy if the entire computer crashes out or even part of it! its soooooooooo annoying that they are not gonna pay you for what their friggin software did to the computer

 

I wouldn´t be happy either. Really, really annoying. Let´s send them a bomb lol

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Lets

[Lina]

If someone asks, we don´t know anything about it

[anna]

There's going to be a special tonight on PrimeTime ABC about the whole Sony BMG I saw the commercial yesterday before the superbowl, and they showed pictures of Celine and other artists...So they be talking about her...So toon in....

[Bellamy]

If you or anyone you know purchased on of Sony infamous computer hacking CD's and was adversely affected by it, the EFF would like to hear from you and make Sony pay.

 

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has set up a few web pages to help the victims of Sony's infamous rootkit CDs clean their computers and get their fair share of the class action settlement. The foundation is asking webmasters and bloggers to help spread the word through a variety of banners. It's the first time the EFF has run a campaign like this, but it makes sense for several reasons

 

Check here: http://www.eff.org/sony/

[keny]

Interesting article at the BBC news site.

 

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6197107.stm

[celinerific]

I got like 5 e-mails from Sony warning me about this. I read this really long thing about really boring stuff on how to prevent from getting the thing and it asked me to do something like e-mail or mail them and they'd give me a new copy of the CD that was safe. But turns out On Ne Change Pas is actually not apart of this and that it's fine. There was a big list of CDs that stated whether they were affected by the thing, but Celine's On Ne Change Pas was one that wasn't... So I don't know...

 

But lucky for me, despite whatever happens... I'm in Canada

 

But, you never know.

[Bellamy]

Sony BMG settles with 39 states

 

LOS ANGELES - Sony BMG Music Entertainment will pay $4.25 million as part of a settlement with 39 states to resolve investigations into problems caused by music CDs loaded with hidden anti-piracy software.

 

Under terms of Thursday's agreement, which also applies to the District of Columbia, the record company will reimburse consumers whose computers were damaged while trying to uninstall the anti-piracy software.

 

Sony BMG also said it will no longer distribute any compact discs loaded with copy-protection software that hinders computer users from easily locating it or removing it from their PCs.

 

The office of Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly took the lead in brokering the multistate agreement, which was expected to be filed Thursday in Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston.

 

"If companies want to use technology to protect their interests, they need to be up front with consumers, and give consumers the opportunity to make informed choices about buying and using these products," Reilly said in a prepared statement.

 

Thirteen states that started the settlement process with Sony BMG will each receive $316,538, while the rest will get $5,000, Reilly's office said.

 

New York-based Sony BMG, a joint venture of Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news). and Bertelsmann AG, said it was pleased to reach the agreement.

 

It covers CDs loaded with one of two types of copy-protection software — MediaMax or XCP. The record label began including MediaMax on some of its discs in August 2003 and introduced XCP in January 2005.

 

Last year, the record company shipped more than 12 million compact discs on 52 Sony BMG titles, each loaded with one of the two programs. About 4 million CDs with the MediaMax software and about 3 million CDs loaded with the XCP software were sold.

 

Both programs restricted the number of copies of a disc that a user could make, but the programs caused problems for some users when they played the CDs on their computers.

 

The XCP software concealed itself to thwart computer users from finding it and attempting to delete it. It also ended up opening a potential security hole on PCs running on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Operating System, making them vulnerable to viruses or other threats.

 

Some who used certain antispyware software to remove the programs ended up with a glitch that disabled their CD-ROM drives.

 

As word spread on the Internet in late 2005 that the CDs carried hidden software, some suggested the company was using the technology to spy on consumers.

 

Sony BMG maintained it did not use the software to collect personal data about consumers without their consent — an assertion backed up by an outside company commissioned by the company to audit its use of the copy-protection software.

 

Sony BMG ultimately recalled the discs with XCP in November 2005 and released a way to remove the files from users' computers. It also released a software patch to fix a potential security hole from the MediaMax 5.0 program.

 

Customers will be able to file a claim with Sony BMG to receive refunds of up to $175, but claims must include a description of how their computer was harmed and documentation of repair expenses.

 

The refund policy will also apply to states that were not a party to the settlement.

 

The latest settlement closes out the states' investigations into the problem.

 

On Tuesday, Sony BMG reached a separate settlement with California and Texas, agreeing to pay $1.5 million to the states and reimburse consumers for PC damage. The company earlier settled a class-action case over the episode.

 

In addition to Massachusetts, the states that were a party to Thursday's settlement are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061221/ap_on_...copy_protection

[Ray]

I'm lucky to have two versions: the US version (which I obviously cannot play on the computer) and the European deluxe version.

 

But if I don't want to install the songs on my computer, but directly to my mp3-player, it won't do any harm?

[Black Kitten]

i didn't have any problems with my ONCP cd because i really can't enjoy my music when played thru my computer. my cd is made in Austria. thank God playing it on my computer never crossed my mind! Edited February 8, 2009 at 03:59 PM by dhena

[Matej]

Wow, interesting topic. But lucky for me, I have South Korean version only

[Bellamy]

Actually this US edition has the XCP rookit is quite rare now. Only a bit over 1,000 copies were sold, and most were recalled. So maybe it will become a new collector item.

[Matej]

Actually this US edition has the XCP rookit is quite rare now. Only a bit over 1,000 copies were sold, and most were recalled. So maybe it will become a new collector item.

What? It will become a new rare collector's item in case, I want it!

[ce-line]

I think the artists including Celine should sue SONY MUSIC for that!!!

 

Agree!

[Belle Céline]

so how can we tell if we have that cd with the virus? I played it once on my computer years ago when it came out but I haven't had any problems...so IDK if I have the virus or not.