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Texas Sues Sony BMG over Rootkit
Mr. Sketch writes "According to Yahoo!, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott 'filed a civil lawsuit on Monday against Sony BMG Music Entertainment for including "spyware" software on its media player designed to thwart music copying. [...] Texas is seeking civil penalties of $100,000 per violation of the state's Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act, which was enacted earlier this year. "Sony has engaged in a technological version of cloak and dagger deceit against consumers by hiding secret files on their computers," Abbott said in a statement.'"
Don't mess with Texas?
According to Yahoo!, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott 'filed a civil lawsuit on Monday against Sony BMG Music Entertainment for including "spyware" software on its media player designed to thwart music copying. [...] Texas is seeking civil penalties of $2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 5 * 5 * 5 * 5 * 5 per violation of the state's Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act, which was enacted earlier this year. "Sony has engaged in a technological version of cloak and dagger deceit against consumers by hiding secret files on their computers," Abbott said in a statement.
Guess we really neednt worry about the president getting on this band wagon since he cant even load songs on his ipod.
Unfortunately, his opponent in the next election can back the Brinks truck up to Sony HQ at his convenience.
RIAA: "Sony BMG did nothing wrong. We love Sony BMG. They clean our pool."
Texas Lawyers: "Pardner, yer full o' bull puckey."
Sony BMG: "Can't you sue any better than that?"
Consumers: Yeah, you can all go screw yourselves. Give us some cash.
I am scientifically inaccurate.
$100,000 per rootkit'd CD times 20,000,000 million CDs = $2,000,000,000,000 (2 trillion dollars)
To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.
--E.C. Stanton
What is the state of Texas going to do with 5 million coupons for a free Sony CD?
I feel another law suit comming.
Or, this being Canada, a stern talking-to.
You can't take the sky from me...
I heard Sony management got a great deal on this book: Rootkits : Subverting the Windows Kernel.
That recommendation is just... the glazing on the pig
Belief is the currency of delusion.
I hope the Texas Attorney General extracts hundreds of millions from Sony. And then that the other states' attorneys general smell blood and jump on the bandwagon, just like the tobacco settlement. Imagine Sony forced to fund a foundation that makes commercials warning youth of the dangers of DRM :).
I too have felt the cold finger of injustice.
Just make sure to kill off a few innocents while you're at it, if you're really going to do it the Texas way.
Mods: Do what you will, but please don't mod this (my) post as funny. Ironic, yes, but this is not funny.
Allegedly real newspaper headline from 1998:
Man Struck by Lightning Faces Battery Charge
Whoa there cowboy. This is Texas we're talkin' about. Stand down with all that high-falutin' legal talk there. Sony obviously just needs some killin', let it be.
Returned Peace Corps IT Volunteer
Why do people think Bush is (1) stupid; (2) evil; and (3) has all sorts of magical powers?
Well, those who believe #1 and #2 must believe in #3, how else would they explain how Bush won in the last election despite #1 and #2?
Let's stab him in some of the lesser-known organs.
Since he doesn't know what they do, he shouldn't really care about it, right?
It got modded as funny! Now that's ironic . . . . . . . .
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good
at least we can kill -9 them.
https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
Unless you live in New Jersey or Chicago, then you don't even need a heartbeat.
Sony changed their name to "Sorry", and were promptly sued by Parker Brothers.
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
Sounds like a John Lennon song...
except for the killin' part.
I would opt for old age.
If corporations are people, aren't stockholders guilty of slavery?
Unfortunately, that only works if killing them will prevent your property from getting damaged/stolen. Inapplicable in this case.
Perhaps one could argue deterrment value? I'll bet a few Sony execs getting shot would shure make them think twice about doing it again!
We don't believe he has magical powers, we only believe that a sufficiently large portion of US citizens are also stupid and/or evil.