p2pnet - rss feed: Sony’s Canadian spyware deal
p2pnet.net News:- “Welcome to the Information Web Site for the Sony BMG CD Technologies Settlement,” says Sony on a new web page, almost as if it means it.
The site is by way of a Canadian follow-up to the Sony rootkit spywar debacle, but the settlement, “must still be approved by a Canadian court, features similar terms to those found in the U.S., including the right to cash compensation or music downloads,” says Michael Geist.
“The settlement site features a full list of the affected CDs including Canadian artists such as Sloan, Our Lady Peace, and a Canadian Idol compilation.
“While it is good to see that the Canadian legal issues will be put to rest, the reverberations from the Sony rootkit case will last well beyond the December deadline for filing a claim. The Sony case will be remembered as a classic illustration of how the use of DRM can pose a security and privacy threat, how the use of copy-controls puts the recording industry at odds with both its customers and artists, and why the reputational risk associated with using DRM far outweighs any potential (and largely illusory) benefits.”
Digital Copyright Canada’s Russell McOrmond says he sent a message to the Ottawa Public Library and, “received a response indicating that, ‘We were alerted about those titles and did a lot of work getting them out of the system. There shouldn’t be any in the library’.”
As always, “the librarians at OPL are on the ball!” - says McOrmond, adding:
“It might be helpful if Canadians could alert their local public and school libraries to ensure that these infected CDs will be removed from circulation.”
Meanwhile, “This website was established to provide information about a proposed class action settlement involving SONY BMG MUSIC (CANADA) INC., SunnComm International Inc., and First 4 Internet, Ltd. (’Defendants’),” Sony says earnestly, going on:
The proposed settlement involves persons who bought, received or used SONY BMG CDs with either XCP or MediaMax software. If you have installed XCP software or MediaMax software on your computer, you will need to uninstall the software or download an important security update as part of this claim process.
If you have played a CD on your computer that contains either XCP or MediaMax 5.0 content protection software, you should update or uninstall the software to reduce your risk of security vulnerabilities.
For information about the how the settlement works and how it may affect you, please click on the links at the top of this page. The FAQ and other links above explain the settlement, the benefits it provides, and the options that you have, including how to submit a Claim Form. For more detailed information, please click on the Notice to Class Members link.
Claim Forms are due by December 31, 2006.
If you would like to submit a Claim Form online, please click here. To submit your claim in hard copy by mail, click here.
Also See:
Michael Geist - Sony Settles Canadian Class Actions over Rootkit, August 31, 2006
Russell McOrmond - Sony has settled several outstanding Canadian class action suits, August 31, 2006
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September 1st, 2006 at 5:19 am
[quote] you will need to uninstall the software or download an important security update as part of this claim process.[quote]
So someone that got this rootkit is supposed to trust that Sony finally got it right? lol. It took forever for Sony to even own up to the problem of a rootkit, much less the fiasco that followed it.
Sony has had a lot of negative publicity this year. Several years ago, I used to think well of Sony. That is no longer the case. Today, I would not buy ANYTHING with a Sony label on it, music, electronic equipment, even games. The corporation mentality of greed has ruined its reputation for its products and run it straight into the ground. As a result, I fear what I might purchase that comes hidden in any product with the Sony name on it.