Guess I'll be a Pirate Now

[Child of Flame]

The publishing side of Sony has decided it would be a totally sweet and awesome idea to install rootkits on your PC when you drop your legit CD in the drive to listen to it, it is their genius new form of DRM.

 

The rootkits stay on your PC after you take the CD out, and if you try to remove them, it supposedly makes it so you can't play CDs on your computer anymore.

 

The extent of my piracy so far has been limited to out of date and unavailable ROMs and Emulators, which are all but legal in that game companies generally look the other way, and occassionally downloading a song or two from an artist to see if I might like to buy their music, deleting it afterwards if I didn't.

 

This is just plain wrong, it's not mentioned at all in the EULA, and from now on, I'll be stealing any music I want published on a Sony label.

 

Sue me.

 

Here's a link to the apparent first dude who found the nasties. [Click]

 

And here's a quote of the part that makes me the most mad.

 

When I logged in again I discovered that the CD drive was missing from Explorer. Deleting the drivers had disabled the CD. Now I was really mad. Windows supports device

Edited November 2, 2005 by Child of Flame

[kirottu]

We need more love in this world.

[jaguars4ever]

So sue me

That must be that new Jewish-Chinese restaurant everyone keeps talking about.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

I expect it will catch on. Like any anti piracy measure it's not designed to irradicate it. Rather it's a deterent to people who only have a certain level of knowledge.

 

Even though music is overpriced. It still dosnt give anyone the right to steal it, any more than walking into a store and lifting the CD off the shelf.

[Tigranes]

Well, the price just got higher. And sadly enough, it's a kind of markup that most people will, knowingly or not, endure.

[Atreides]

Did the CD carry info/terms of use that included that? If not, installing software on PCs without the users' knowledge isn't cool.

[SteveThaiBinh]

Did the CD carry info/terms of use that included that?  If not, installing software on PCs without the users' knowledge isn't cool.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Or legal?

Sue me. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, sue them. I know someone was prosecuted recently for spam. Have there been any prosecutions for spyware?

 

I can foresee this being a disaster for sony, with lots of innocent users deleting the files by accident and having problems playing legitimate CDs. They'll complain to the newspapers, and Sony will be forced to apologise and withdraw the system, having wasted millions of pounds on it. It couldn't happen to nicer people.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Or legal?

 

No, sue them.  I know someone was prosecuted recently for spam.  Have there been any prosecutions for spyware?

 

I can foresee this being a disaster for sony, with lots of innocent users deleting the files by accident and having problems playing legitimate CDs.  They'll complain to the newspapers, and Sony will be forced to apologise and withdraw the system, having wasted millions of pounds on it.  It couldn't happen to nicer people.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Thats a toughie since PC's are not the primary unit used to play CD's even though they can.

 

Although It's probably been passed by legal analysts beforehand and buried somewhere deep in the small print it's not the sort of thing that should be done in secret.

 

That would depend on how likely it was to effect an "innocent user" at the end of the day people are not going to want to bring themselves attention in that way unless they are a paragon of virtue.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Mayhap it has something to do with this ?

 

Sony Computer Entertainment America has launched a new piece of software designed to make it easier for PlayStation Portable owners to transfer media from PC to PSP.

 

The PSP Media Manager features a drag-and-drop interface and thumbnail previews so users can move files around quickly and easily, and a one-click option for backing up files. It supports a wide range of video and audio formats, including jpeg, wav, wma, mp4, avi and mpeg, and a range of bitrate options are available.

 

A download-only version is on sale now at the Sony website, priced $19.95. A boxed version, which will go on sale on December 1, will come with a 6 foot USB 2.0 cable, sample media and five free song downloads from Sony's Connect music store. It will retail for $29.95.

 

Advertisement

"The PSP system has established itself as the pre-eminent device for mobile entertainment and gaming," said Dave Chaimson, vice president of marketing, Sony Media Software.

 

"Now, with the release of the new PSP Media Manager software, we're providing Sony technology that lets users easily optimize and transfer their content from the PC to their PSP system using a familiar drag-and-drop interface."

[Darth_Schmarth]

Non facias malum, ut inde fiat bonum.

 

Yeah, everybody loves Latin proverbs...

[jaguars4ever]

Non facias malum, ut inde fiat bonum.

 

Yeah, everybody loves Latin proverbs...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I believe you've just emoti-erred, dear Schmarthypoo. This is what you're looking for -->

[Darth_Schmarth]

Don't tempt me!

[Kaftan Barlast]

This is increadibly ugly, someone should sue Sony and http://www.first4internet.com/ to hell and back for this.

[Surreptishus]

This kind of restrictive and invasive DRM will come as standard with Blu Ray. The future is bright.

[213374U]

It still dosnt give anyone the right to steal it, any more than walking into a store and lifting the CD off the shelf.

Yeah, and it's not like anyone would want to do that anymore, after they put that crap in their CDs.

I meanl, this idiocy makes me smile. Do they really think they are going to stop piracy this way? People will just stop buying CDs for fear of damaging their hardware, and illegal internet downloads will increase or, at best, stay the same.

 

At any rate, I'm pretty sure it's illegal to install software in your computer without your consent, let alone your knowledge. I really hope they get sued to hell for this.

[Oerwinde]

Mayhap it has something to do with this ?

 

Sony Computer Entertainment America has launched a new piece of software designed to make it easier for PlayStation Portable owners to transfer media from PC to PSP.

 

The PSP Media Manager features a drag-and-drop interface and thumbnail previews so users can move files around quickly and easily, and a one-click option for backing up files. It supports a wide range of video and audio formats, including jpeg, wav, wma, mp4, avi and mpeg, and a range of bitrate options are available.

 

A download-only version is on sale now at the Sony website, priced $19.95. A boxed version, which will go on sale on December 1, will come with a 6 foot USB 2.0 cable, sample media and five free song downloads from Sony's Connect music store. It will retail for $29.95.

 

Advertisement

"The PSP system has established itself as the pre-eminent device for mobile entertainment and gaming," said Dave Chaimson, vice president of marketing, Sony Media Software.

 

"Now, with the release of the new PSP Media Manager software, we're providing Sony technology that lets users easily optimize and transfer their content from the PC to their PSP system using a familiar drag-and-drop interface."

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I use a similar program for my MP3 player... its called Windows Explorer.

[Diamond]

Apparently they have changed their EULA, so it warns you about the crap they are installing on your computer, but still no mention of inability to uninstall it.

 

 

 

In the other news

Under a new proposed Analog Hole bill, it will be illegal to make anything capable of digitizing video unless it either has all its outputs approved by the Hollywood studios, or is closed-source, proprietary and tamper-resistant. The idea is to make it impossible to create an MPEG from a video signal unless Hollywood approves it.

[Darth_Schmarth]

*kneels before almighty Hollywood*

[Surreptishus]

*Hollywood unzips trousers*

[Volourn]

Laws override the EULA of any company's products. if this is found to be illegal, they could write it in bold letters,a nd tehy still coulnd't get away with it. Period.

 

However, anyone who steals something after this is scum as wll and should be fried. You do NOT have the right to these products.

[Judge Hades]

I do P2P downloads of music all the time, mostly because the music I like to listen to aren't available for sale here in middle of nowhere Iowa.

[Musopticon?]

However, anyone who steals something after this is scum as wll and should be fried. You do NOT have the right to these products.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yarrr...

[Child of Flame]

Volo's becoming too predictable.

 

I figured his response would be something like that. )

[Diamond]

Laws override the EULA of any company's products.

If such law exists, since it varies from country to country. I bet Sony thought of that before releasing such product.

Edited November 2, 2005 by Diamond

[Judge Hades]

I don't mind copy protection as long as it doesn't stop me from enjoying the music or software that I purchased and installs some funky crap that isn't needed.