CALIFORNIA: To say that Sony BMG Music Entertainment's Digital Rights Management strategy has backfired would be an understatement. CDs released with the copy protection software have caused a consumer outrage that threatens to bury the company in an avalanche of lawsuits.
The world's second biggest recording label is now hoping it can right the serious wrong it committed by releasing over 50 music CDs with the copy protection software XCP made by First4Internet and the MediaMax tool made by SunnComm Technologies. The company sold a total of over 24 million such CDs.
When a Sony CD with the XCP software is played on a computer, the XCP code installs itself onto the computer, even if it's a Sony PC. The code operates stealthily, sending information to Sony websites and in the process provides new vulnerabilities for virus writers to exploit.
System performance also gets degraded as the software is designed to have the features of a rootkit which is difficult to uninstall and requires the PC's hard drive to be reformatted.
The resulting uproar has forced the company to suspend further production of such CDs and ask retailers to pull all the remaining Sony BMG CDs off the shelves.
It is now up against a spate of lawsuits in the US and Europe and a large number of annoyed musicians and their fans. In Texas and California, the company faces class action lawsuits. The attorney general of Texas has rapped the company for several violations of the "Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act."
It may be just a strange coincidence that last month's Sony BMG releases included two albums titled 'Invisible Invasions' by Coral and 'Suspicious Activity' by the band Bad Plus. Many of those who bought or used the CDS are certain to agree.
