p2pnet - rss feed: New Sony spyware deal
p2pnet.net News:- Following news that Sony BMG Music Entertainment must cough up $1.5 million as another development in the rootkit spyware scandal comes further news that the now sorely troubled company will have to pay $4.25 million more as part of a settlement with 39 US states.
It’ll, “resolve investigations,” says The Associated Press, into music CDs polluted by anti-piracy software which was stashed on the discs and which installed itself on users’ computers without their knowledge.
Of course, it’ll resolve nothing because Sony BMG will never live down what must be the worst PR disaster in its history.
“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,” says AP.
“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.”
Thirteen states which started the settlement process with Sony BMG will each receive $316,538, while the rest will get $5,000, says the story, going on:
“New York-based Sony BMG, a joint venture of Sony Corp and Bertelsmann AG, said it was pleased to reach the agreement.”
And there’s no doubt its statement is accurate. It’s little more than a gentle slap on the wrist and the money involved amounts to pocket change for a company of Sony BMG’s magnitude.
Nor should it be forgotten that it’s one of the Big 4 Organized Music cartel members who are trying to sue their own customers into buying low-quality, over-priced music downloads.
The deal covers CDs carrying SunnComm MediaMax or First4Internet XCP Digital Restrictions Management consumer control software.
XCP was, “designed to hide the program’s files and operations so that consumers found it difficult to locate that software on their computers,” says The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. “Many people had problems removing the software, and some who tried saw their CD-ROM drives crash.”
MediaMax, “caused a driver to download on a consumer’s computer even if the consumer declined to accept the software,” it states.
States that were a party to the settlement are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, 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.
The Canadian settlement generated a separate scandal via Exhibit C, “an astonishing and hitherto well hidden affidavit from Sony’s Canadian Vice President, Legal and Business Affairs, Christine J. Prudham,” as copyright expert Howard Knopf wrote.
“That affidavit purports to explain why Canadians should be content to settle for no injunctive relief, whereas Americans will get injunctive relief against SONY’s outrageous conduct.”
If your Net access is blocked by government restrictions, try Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies. Go here for the official download, here for the p2pnet download, and here for details. And if you’re Chinese and you’re looking for a way to access independent Internet news sources, try Freegate, the DIT program written to help Chinese citizens circumvent web site blocking outside of China. Download it here.
Also See:
cough up $1.5 million - Sony BMG nailed for $1.5 mil, December 20, 2006
The Associated Press - Sony BMG settles with 39 states, December 21, 2006
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Anti-piracy concerns costly for Sony BMG, December 22, 2006
well hidden affidavi - SONY BMG Canada Settlement, September 14, 2006
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