New at Reason

Julian Sanchez | November 15, 2005

Looking for a war policy in all the wrong places, Sony CDs prove to be hackers' aces, and a drug benefit prompts puzzled faces—in the new Reason Express.

Comments

|11.15.05 @ 5:07PM|#

You know, I don't know when these record company people are ever going to give up. Some people just can't seem to get that copying CD tracks is the same thing as copying cassette tapes. It's just a different format. Even the quality of a CD track ripped to an MP3 diminishes, much like a copied analog tape. I don't understand the big deal here. Did they create the CD format expecting to eliminate music sharing (i.e. to kill off mix-taping and dubbing)?
In truth, it doesn't matter what they do. They can make all the new formats they want, but somebody will find a way to share, in whatever medium the information is presented, be it cassette tape, CD, or whatever's next.

Jeff P.|11.15.05 @ 5:25PM|#

I'm sorry, but I cannot feel a lick of sympathy for the Sony victims. I agree that the embedded rootkit (as well as the lifted code it contains) is, by any possible definition, tantamount to a criminal act. But Sony has been vocal against used CD stores for over a decade, and have taken a number of active steps to curb sharing of any content, by any media. This Metallica-level of sabatage was expected.
Secondly, from everything I've seen and read, even the most cursory security or cookie-killer has been effective at stopping the rootkit. This means that the victims are running no protection programs while sticking a disc into thier rig.
Dumb. Real dumb. And also irresponsible. After all the polls I read where users said they would rather buy new rigs every two years rather than regularly update thier software, I am not at all surprised that Sony grew the balls to try this.

|11.15.05 @ 5:48PM|#

Well, I could waste my time iterating the arguement that when you buy a CD, you should be able to do what you want with it, including ripping it to your computer, but I won't do that, particularly since said software allegedly isn't even capable of actually preventing someone from ripping the CD. This software is just a new, big inconvenience to honest music customers, and moreover, is apparently not about file sharing but rather a pressure tactic used by Sony towards Apple, the makers of iPod and iTunes:

http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2005/10/drm_crippled_cd.html


As a music purchaser, I must say thanks to Sony for getting me involved in their private business maneuvers.

Jeff P.|11.15.05 @ 5:54PM|#

Smacky: apparently the CDs in question actually have a licence agreement on them that state that by purchasing the item you agree not to rip it.

|11.15.05 @ 6:27PM|#

It's such a shame about Sony- they can make great hardware, but their downfall is and has been owning a record label/movie studio. Who knows what nifty devices they might have made or how much better my mini-disc recorder would be if they hadn't had a content division hobbling them with piracy concerns.

Sandy|11.15.05 @ 7:07PM|#

Stuff like this makes me want to buy an iPod and dance outside the Sony Experience store with it. Fortunately I use a Mac so I'm immune to their rootkit, unless I want to manually install it.

|11.15.05 @ 9:08PM|#

"apparently the CDs in question actually have a licence agreement on them that state that by purchasing the item you agree not to rip it."

So? Unless it's clear before I purchase the product, such post-facto licesencing should be shit canned. And was under old UCC 2 rules. Cem Kaner has been fighting the good fight to keep the rules balanced towards the consumer. http://www.badsoftware.com/uccindex.htm

Dave W.|11.16.05 @ 9:01AM|#

Jeff P.

Sony can do what it wants, but it should announce their tactics better. Burying consent to this intrusive rootkit in the fine print of a long license may (or may not) pass muster as a valid technique for forming mutual consent for contract purposes. However, it is also an old scoundrel's trick and people understand that.

|11.16.05 @ 9:32AM|#

The stuff Sony's doing only encourages determined people to work around the problem and then make copies to give away to their friends.

Xmas|11.16.05 @ 11:54AM|#

Hey,

If you read slashdot, there's a thread over there about the software Sony put on the CDs violating copyrights. Ironic that.

Slashdotty goodness

Jeff P.|11.16.05 @ 1:10PM|#

To be clear, I am in no way defending Sony. In SOny's mind, putting a bait-n-switch lisence on a CD gives them the right to gum up yor works.