Sony Pulls Controversial Anti-Piracy Software

An anonymous reader writes "Bowing to public outrage, Sony BMG has temporarily halted the use of its controversial anti-piracy software in all of its music CDs, the company said in a statement today. The move comes just a day after a top Bush administration official chided Sony and the entertainment industry for going too far: according to this story over at Washingtonpost.com, Stewart Baker, the Department of Homeland Security's policy czar warned would-be DRM makers: 'It's very important to remember that it's your intellectual property -- it's not your computer. And in the pursuit of protection of intellectual property, it's important not to defeat or undermine the security measures that people need to adopt in these days.' The Post has the full text and video of his commentary." We've reported on this story previously.

Comments

$sys$Here's the reason:

[dada21]

I wonder . . .

[harley_frog]

Are the people who purchased the DRM/spyware CDs due a replacement copy without the DRM/spyware?

Byeee DRM?

[rilister]

Wonderful to watch this going south in a big way, dragging the whole concept of DRM with it. We all owe Sony a debt of thanks, really.

I particularly enjoyed this quote from First4Internet's website from their director of Sales & Marketing:
"We're not denying people access to the music," Macdonald said. "We're just trying to help them manage their access."

http://www.xcp-aurora.com/press_article.aspx?art=x cp_art10

Please! Please, Mr. MacDonald! Help me manage my access to my media by installing a rootkit!

Sony's anti-piracy software in violation of LGPL?

[Anonymous Coward]

Check this out:

http://www.webwereld.nl/articles/38285

Someone in the Netherlands claims to have found certain strings from Lame's source code in Sony's app. Did Sony steal LGPL'd code?

Still no word on Sony's Mac DRM

[davidwr]

Macintouch reports that Sony is also putting Macintosh DRM on some of its disks. No word if these kernel extensions - PhoenixNub1.kext and PhoenixNub12.kext - are a rootkit or not, and no word if Sony is suspending their use or not.

According to the Macintouch article, the Mac DRM is on Imogen Heap's Speak for Yourself, an RCA CD distributed by Sony/BMG.

I suspect that CD-makers won't be able to keep a stunt like this secret for 8 months next time, because their customers will be watching for such shenannigans.

Now we wait for Sony to issue a recall.

"All your replacement CDs are belong to us" - Sony's customers.

I'm Sony's bitch.

[Anonymous Coward]

it's your intellectual property -- it's not your computer

Actually, I use a Vaio, so it actually is their computer. I feel _so_ f*cking pwned right now.

You know you've gone to far...

[Anonymous Coward]

...when the creators of the USA PATRIOT Act are on your case about in violating people's rights.

Why DRM won't work

[Arend]

An interesting read at: http://www.changethis.com/4.drm :

"DRM punishes honest people!" ... "Without DRM, people will steal and artists won't get paid!" ... Usage of Digital Rights Management (DRM) has been hotly debated since a college student threatened to put an entire industry out of business with a little application he built in his spare time, Napster. In this transcript of a speech he gave at Microsoft's campus, Cory explains why DRM doesn't work, why DRM is bad for society, bad for business, bad for artists, and a bad move for Microsoft.

Using Sony and Apple as examples of companies that are using DRM to *punish* consumers, he suggests Microsoft use the opportunity to once again champion users' rights. To follow our current path, Cory argues, is to stifle innovation and contradict the purpose of American copyright law: to promote the useful arts and sciences."

I always find it very remarkable that the content industry treats the people who pay for their products -- in other industries also known as customers -- as criminals. People don't buy cd's because they want to screw the people who made them and make a zillion copies. Those people buy the damn things because they do *not* want to wast their time on copying!

And I also don't think the way customers are treated is in the interest of the artists, in whose name this whole mess is being created. Take a look at an excellent article by Janis Ian, a respectable musician:

http://www.janisian.com/article-internet_debacle.h tml

"They told me downloads were "destroying sales", "ruining the music industry", and "costing you money".

Costing me money? I don't pretend to be an expert on intellectual property law, but I do know one thing. If a music industry executive claims I should agree with their agenda because it will make me more money, I put my hand on my wallet...and check it after they leave, just to make sure nothing's missing."

For what it's worth: this is a women who made more then 25 albums and wrote some very well known songs for other artists. One of her most known songs is "At seventeen", which can be downloaded for free, just like some other songs of her:

http://www.individualidade.com.br/janisian/mp3/jan isian_atseventeen.zip
http://www.janisian.com/mp3_downloads.html

Re:Sony's anti-piracy software in violation of LGP

[Arend]

English translation at
http://dewinter.com/modules.php?name=News&file=art icle&sid=215

"A computerexpert, whose name is known by the redaction, discovered that the cd "Get Right With The Man" by "Van Zant" contains strings from the library version.c of Lame. This can be conluded from the string: "http://www.mp3dev.org/", "0.90", "LAME3.95", "3.95", "3.95 ".

But the expert has more proof. For example, the executable program go.exe contains a so called array largetbl. This is a part used in the module tables.c of libmp3lame."

No

[Armour Hotdog]

Check out their full statement (from a Security Focus article):

We are aware that a computer virus is circulating that may affect computers with XCP content protection software. The XCP software is included on a limited number of SONY BMG content protected titles. This potential problem has no effect on the use of these discs in conventional, non-computer-based, CD and DVD players.

In response to these events, SONY BMG has swiftly provided a patch to all major anti-virus companies and to the general public that guards against precisely the type of virus now said to exist. The patch fixes the possible software problem, and still allows CDs to be played on personal computers. It can be downloaded at http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/. Starting today, we will also be adding this link to the SONY BMG label and corporate sites. We deeply regret any possible inconvenience this may cause.

We stand by content protection technology as an important tool to protect our intellectual property rights and those of our artists. Nonetheless, as a precautionary measure, SONY BMG is temporarily suspending the manufacture of CDs containing XCP technology. We also intend to re-examine all aspects of our content protection initiative to be sure that it continues to meet our goals of security and ease of consumer use. More information about our content protection initiative can also be found at: http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp.

They're spinning this with all their might. Remember that the patch they so proudly trumpet (look how serious we are about protecting our customers!) doesn't remove the rootkit - it merely disables the cloaking feature. Also note that while they say they are suspending manufacture of these CDs, there is no mention of any effort to remove already manufactured copies from store shelves or the distribution network. Considering that CDs are stamped in large production runs and then kept in inventory, they really haven't committed to anything except to "re-examine all aspects of our content protection initiative to be sure that it continues to meet our goals of security and ease of consumer use." (and note how their goals do not include consumer privacy or control over their own electronic devices).

No, I don't think we forgive them for this for a long time yet.

Re:do we forgive sony now?

[Wieland]

On second thought, shouldn't technology that can help prevent the further spreading of Celine Dion actually be considered a good thing?

Re:They're not going to recall their CDs...

[Armour Hotdog]

Thinking about that though, does it matter if they recall the CD's if the DRM rootkits are already out there installed on computers?

Don't worry - I'm sure if it comes to that, Sony will take the opportunity to continue to spin shit into PR gold:

Sony BMG is aware of the growing public perception that certain copyright technology used on a small number of compact discs has been the subject of great controversy over the last several weeks. While we stand by our use of this technology to protect our valuable intellectual property against the growing phenomenon of internet piracy (which cost the recording industry an estimated $12.7 billion in 2004), we recognize that many people continue to hold a deep distrust of this innocuous technology. Therefore, as a gesture of goodwill, we are offering the following replacement program:

Any person who purchased one of the protected compact discs prior to December 31, 2005 may return the product to Sony BMG, with its original packaging and retail receipt, and choose a replacement compact disc from Sony's extensive library of bagpipe and accordian recordings. Any customers desiring to take advantage of this offer should contact customer service through this link [link to form that initiates overly long chain of correspondance eventually resulting in promise to ship "12 Classic Bagpipe Funeral Marches" in 6-8 weeks]

Good to create DRM awareness on everybody

[TheUnknownCoder]

"We also intend to re-examine all aspects of our content protection initiative to be sure that it continues to meet our goals of security and ease of consumer use," Sony BMG added.
I really can't believe this clown is saying that. Did they ever have a security goal in mind??? Does this statement mean that they continue to do business as usual???

I went back to their FAQs, and found a few interesting lines:

- You must log on to your computer with Administrator rights or Power User rights to fully use the disc.
So I must be an admin just to listen to Ricky Martin??? Gimme a break.

- To date, Apple has not been willing to cooperate with our protection vendors to make ripping to iTunes and to the iPod a simple experience.
And hopefully it'll stay that way for a long, long, long time...

- the protection components are never installed without the consumer first accepting the End User License Agreement.
But nowhere in the EULA it is mentioned what the user is in fact installing.

- If at some point you wish to remove the software from your machine simply contact customer service through this link. You will, though, be unable to use the disc on your computer once you uninstall the components.
Now this is another issue. Sony is marketing their discs as CDs, but their are not campatible with standard CD players??? They can't slap the CD logo anywhere they want and get away with it. They have to follow the standards, or call their DRM discs something else and anounce in big bold letters that such disc may not be playable in all devices.

Let's take advantage of this whole mess with Sony. Right now is the perfect time to create some awareness on the average Joe about the implications of DRM and how the insdustry is going way too far with it.

Re:They'll still be liable though

[Jaseoldboss]

To quote from the website of the British Phonographic Industry

The unauthorised distribution of music over the internet is against the law. It infringes the legal rights of artists and record companies. And it's bad for music.

How hollow those words ring now, let me paraphrase in light of what Sony is accused of.

The unauthorised tampering with users computers is against the law. It infringes the legal rights of customers. And it's bad for music.

If there is one thing I'm sick of it's being preached to in this manner by corrupt, self serving sleazy corporate fat cats.