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Sony Rootkit Allegedly Contains LGPL Software

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the this-keeps-getting-funnier dept.

Deaths Hand writes "According to this Dutch article the Sony DRM software (or rootkit, if you may prefer) contains code from the LAME MP3 encoder project, which is licensed under the LGPL. However, the source code has not also been distrbuted, hence breaching the license. Here is an english translation of the page." So apparently Sony violates your privacy to create a backdoor onto your machine using code that violates an Open Source license. This story just keeps getting stranger.

2 of 623 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Code vs metadata by Serious+Simon · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    How do you know the executable is not included? And if you are correct, this would mean that only this specific version of LAME can be recognized. That does not make sense.

  2. Re:Thank god! by Mr.+Underbridge · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    They're not stealing code, they're infringing on the author's copyrights by not respecting the license under which the code is be distributed (in exactly the same way people who "share" Sony/BMG music via p2p etc infringe on Sony/BMG's and the the artists' copyrights).

    +5, Pedant