Slashdot Mirror
SunnComm Says Pointing to Shift Key 'Possible Felony'
The Importance of writes "A couple of weeks ago BMG released an audio CD with a new type of DRM. Earlier this week, a computer science graduate student at Princeton wrote a report showing the DRM was ineffective - it could easily be defeated by use of the 'shift' key. The stock of the DRM company (SunnComm) has since fallen by 20%. Now, SunnComm plans to sue the student under the DMCA and claim that SunnComm's reputation has been falsely damaged. According to SunnComm's CEO, 'No matter what their credentials or rationale, it is wrong to use one's knowledge and the cover of academia to facilitate piracy and theft of digital property.'"
http://www.sunncomm.com/index2.html
http://www.zombo.com/
They need to sue Microsoft for allowing common users to see what services are running. No user has any business looking at what processes are running on their systems.
April fools in October feeling? Slashdot poll: Initial reaction to SunnComm's suit: 1) You've got to be fucking kidding me? 2) You've got to be fucking kidding me? 3) You've got to be fucking kidding me? 4) You've got to be fucking kidding me? 5) Cowbody Neal has got to be fucking kidding me?!
Never confuse volume with power.
1. Market defective product
2. Watch the news
3. Sue the messenger
4. Profit!
This one seems to be a sure thing; no question marks required.
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
For example, visiting http://www.sunncomm.com/video/video.asp using i686+Linux+Mozilla gives the error message "Sorry, this feature is not available to Macintosh users at this time"
If they can't do something as mediocre as a browser check with javascript (can't even COPY-PASTE it from any of the free resources online), is it really a surprise that their DRM software can be bypassed by hitting shift ?
Everyone knows Apple was using the key to disable system extensions years before MS was.
After all, how else could you defeat the Oscar the Grouch in the Trash can?
Share and Enjoy!
...and tell them I have a shift key and autorun disabled.
'Ere is the number, J.H.
SunnComm
602-267-7500
[Don't believe me? Look at the press release, near the bottom.]
"Life's funny sometimes." "And sometimes it isn't." --Cat's Cradle
This is so nutty its unbelievable.
That's not coffee!!!
SunComm sues Linux users because its software won't run on Linux based OSes.
SunnComm CEO: They ought to recomplie the kernel with the support for our software because we all know that you are a pirate if you use any OSes that doesn't use DRM.
On the other news, SCO sues SunnComm because SunnComm has letters S C O in it and also for violating SCO's patent on stupid lawsuits.
1f u c4n r34d th1s u r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d
They need to sue linux because you can mount a volume and stip the thing clean. But hey didn't SCO say linux was their code.... I know! They should sue SCO because their code is in Linux! Boy that would be a fun little legal match!
Tsukasa: All I really want, is to be left alone...
I use Linux. I eagerly await my court summons.
The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
Please contact compliance@sco.com
Is there a new 'Corporate fuckups for dummies' book out that I haven't seen yet? RIAA, SCO, and now SunnComm seem to have all read the same book.
Karma: SELECT `karma` FROM `users` WHERE `userid`=138474;
My linux install doesn't have an autorun feature. Do I need to install extra software to enable their copy protection.
Expect to be sued tomorrow.
i don't know about you, but i am in total compliance with the dmca in this case
naa. he used THE CAPS LOCK KEY to type one letter. our legal team advised him of this for security against lawsuits and stuff.
what has the world come to?
What they forget to mention in the press release, is that a 20% drop seems to represent a whopping 3 cents. From 15 cents to 12 cents. I'm sorry, if you're stock is that close to being worthless, I think an academic paper is the least of your problems.
what has the world come to?
i sincerely hope you used the alt-077 keystroke to type your question mark. i've decided to not use upper case or shifted keys at all to avoid legal hassles. forgive the bad quoting, i had to use code instead of html because tags are now illegal to type.
Litigious bastards
6) Use the information provided in the article and call:
SunnComm Technologies Inc., Phoenix
Kimberly Faulkner, 602-267-7500
and express... "You've got to be fucking kidding me?"
"By opening this CD case you agree to be bound by the license and pay us one million dollars for each stupid lawsuit we can file against you for using our product" :)
Now that'd be a comprehensive EULA.
Though I probably should not give them any ideas...
Hyperom.com
No, that award would go either to "peronsalized" or "randomly hidden" menus, or even worse the Angry Fruit Salad that is the Windows XP default user interface (code name: Playskool)
No, wait, the real winner is hiding file extensions by default. _That's_ the most useless innovation.
New user: Gee, there's three icons called "setup". I don't know what these cryptic little icons mean.
Microsoft: But file extensions are confusing, and at Microsoft we stole^h^h^h^h^h learned a trick from Apple: Anything that confuses the user should simply be hidden.
New User: Then explain why you completely and arbitrarily rearrange Windows configuration every two years. And what about wireless setup on XP... it's cryptic _and_ useless. Why can't _that_ be easy?!
Microsoft: Shut up, that's why!
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
It was too tempting, I just had to take a screenshot of this...
f
http://www.digitalpropulsion.org/junk/sunncomm.gi
>I absolutely hate Autorun and find it one of the
:)
>most useless "innovations" of the last decade.
Because when you put in a CD, you usually don't want to do anything with it?
(XP even has content specific autorun actions, which is neat.)
Copyright is a temporary loan from the public domain, not property.
That is such an excellent summary of copyright. I'm going to register it.
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
I have auto-run turned off.
You're in luck. The RIAA has just announced its amnesty program, whereby you send them a signed affidavit stating that you put auto-run back on and promise to never again disable it. They in turn promise to not sue you in the near (but not intermediate or distant) future.
In this case 'future enhancements' means that they are going to break into people's houses while their out and install the software on their computers for them.
Anyone trying to uninstall the software afterwards will be in volation of the DMCA.
Anyone reporting someone breaking into their home will be in violation of the USA PATRIOT Act.
This signature used to contain a cute kitty virus with ansii art. Please set the slashdot editors on fire. Thank you
I will not deny that this technique will be used to make copies of music but I refuse to consider that "piracy" or immoral.
.mp3 and not .suck, or whatever proprietary, non portable, encrypted bullshit they put on the CD.
It's not even that! He bought the damn thing, he wanted to make a backup of it. He is legally entitled to do so. It just so happens that he wanted his backup in
~Will
sig?
Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
Reason: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
yes, and for that reason i'm not using the shift key to answer to you
my 2 cents
Darn - just when I'd finished metamorphosing into a speaker bracelet, too.
Two minutes work with Google and a couple of standard Unix tools will reveal my home address and mobile telephone number. Bring your "Secret Service" kiddies on.