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Sony's New Nagging Copy Protection

Posted by Zonk on from the annoying-your-customers dept.

bort27 writes "You can put away your Sharpies, because Sony has launched a new CD copy protection scheme that is actually designed to be easily cracked: 'The copy-protection technology is...far from ironclad. Apple Macintosh users currently face no restrictions at all. What's more, if users go to a Web site to complain about the lack of iPod compatibility, Sony BMG will send them an email with a back door measure on how to work around the copy protection.'"

10 of 404 comments (clear)

  1. ok... by Chewbacon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So if you complain about it, they'll tell you how to get around it? Why bother hindering at all?

    --
    Chewbacon
    The Bible is like Wikipedia: written by a bunch of people and verifiable by questionable sources.
  2. Interesting... by caluml · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Is it a:, so they have a nice list of people who know about the backdoor, or b:, so they can use the DMCA if someone reverses it without being told (i.e. given permission) by Sony?

    --
    Get your own free personal location tracker
  3. The sad part... by CyberSnyder · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...is that while the copy protection sucks, we're paying for it in the form of passed on costs from Sony.

    1. Re:The sad part... by CSMastermind · · Score: 4, Insightful

      All ready got you covered there. In fact if a company were to come out and say, look we don't believe in DRM and we're going to not enforce it at all, then they would have my business hands down.

    2. Re:The sad part... by waynelorentz · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Do you have cable? Or Dish Network/DirecTV/whatever? All of those distribution channels are encrypted and copy protected, just like the distribution channel of a copy-protected CD. Even over-the-air television networks (in the United States) are copy protected as they travel from the network to the satellite, and back to the station for transmission to you.

      Have you ever been to the movies? Some theaters have infrared lights behind the screen to thward movie copying. Thus, you've bought a copy-protected product.

      Do you own a car? Go ahead and try to reverse-engineer the electronics and you'll find out what many mom-and-pop repair shops already know -- it's copy protected.

      Ever read a newspaper? Copyright protection there, which some people see as copy protection. And if you go along with that line of thinking, then look at the bottom of your screen where it says "© 1997-2005 OSTG." That's right -- Slashdot is protected by copyright, and thus, laws against copying its content. In other words --copy protection.

      There's no point in fighting the war. You've already lost.

      --
      World's tallest building rises in the desert
    3. Re:The sad part... by diamondsw · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There is definitely a difference between copyright, which provides for your fair use, and copy protection, which prevents it. Copyrighted works are not part of anyone's "war" but your own - they're perfectly valid (the Congressional extensions, that's another matter).

      Furthermore, the auto electronics do prevent reverse engineering and diagnostics, but they aren't "copy protection". Your mechanic is not trying to make a copy of the engine, he's trying to figure out what's wrong to fix it.

      Infrared lights in theaters? Cable signals? Yup, that is copy protection. The others are not.

      --
      I don't know what kind of crack I was on, but I suspect it was decaf.
  4. Sony Assumes too Much by izznop · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't get it, whether or not it is easily crackable shouldn't matter. The fact of the matter is that the Music Industry has now decided that all of their customers are criminals.

    1. Re:Sony Assumes too Much by tuffy · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Do you feel the same way about security tags in shops?

      I would if I had to keep the tag on even after I've bought the item.

      --

      Ita erat quando hic adveni.

  5. its a trojan horse by vingilot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They want people to accept DRM, this time its easy to crack-- first hit is free. Next time though...

    call me paranoid

    Jonathan

  6. WARNING it's a trap! by argoff · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is Sony's way of lewering people into using DRM technologies, once you're hooked in, the noose will slowly tighten.