- SONY MUSIC CENTER FOR WINDOWS MAC OS X
- SONY MUSIC CENTER FOR WINDOWS INSTALL
- SONY MUSIC CENTER FOR WINDOWS SOFTWARE
- SONY MUSIC CENTER FOR WINDOWS CODE
SONY MUSIC CENTER FOR WINDOWS SOFTWARE
The scandal erupted on October 31, 2005, when Winternals (later acquired by Microsoft Corporation) researcher Mark Russinovich posted to his blog a detailed description and technical analysis of F4I's XCP software that he ascertained had been recently installed on his computer by a Sony BMG music CD.
SONY MUSIC CENTER FOR WINDOWS MAC OS X
However, Mac OS X prompted the user for confirmation when the software attempted to modify the OS, whereas Windows did not. The remaining 20 million CDs, spanning 50 titles, contained SunnComm's MediaMax CD-3, which was installed on either Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X systems after the user was presented with the EULA, regardless of whether the user accepted it. About two million of those CDs, spanning 52 titles, contained First 4 Internet (F4I)'s Extended Copy Protection (XCP), which was installed on Microsoft Windows systems after the user accepted the EULA which made no mention of the software. The two pieces of copy-protection software at issue in the 2005–2007 scandal were included on over 22 million CDs marketed by Sony BMG, the record company formed by the 2004 merger of Sony and BMG's recorded music divisions. BMG and Sony both released copy-protected versions of certain releases in certain markets in late 2001, and a late 2002 report indicated that all BMG CDs sold in Europe would have some form of copy protection.
In Europe, BMG created a minor scandal in 2001 when it released Natalie Imbruglia's second album, White Lilies Island, without warning labels stating that the CD had copy protection. These strategies are being aggressively pursued because there is simply too much at stake." We will firewall Napster at source – we will block it at your cable company. We will develop technology that transcends the individual user. Sony is going to take aggressive steps to stop this. It will not lose that revenue stream, no matter what . Heckler told attendees at the Americas Conference on Information Systems: "The industry will take whatever steps it needs to protect itself and protect its revenue streams .
In August 2000, statements by Sony Pictures Entertainment US senior VP Steve Heckler foreshadowed the events of late 2005. 3.3 New York and California class action suits.It then released, for one of the programs, an " uninstaller" that only un-hid the program, installed additional software that could not be easily removed, collected an email address from the user, and introduced further security vulnerabilities.įollowing public outcry, government investigations, and class-action lawsuits in 20, Sony BMG partially addressed the scandal with consumer settlements, a recall of about 10% of the affected CDs, and the suspension of CD copy protection efforts in early 2007. Sony BMG initially denied that the rootkits were harmful.
SONY MUSIC CENTER FOR WINDOWS CODE
Both programs contained code from several pieces of copylefted free software in an apparent infringement of copyright, and configured the operating system to hide the software's existence, leading to both programs being classified as rootkits.
SONY MUSIC CENTER FOR WINDOWS INSTALL
One of the programs would install and " phone home" with reports on the user's private listening habits, even if the user refused its end-user license agreement (EULA), while the other was not mentioned in the EULA at all. Neither program could easily be uninstalled, and they created vulnerabilities that were exploited by unrelated malware. When inserted into a computer, the CDs installed one of two pieces of software that provided a form of digital rights management (DRM) by modifying the operating system to interfere with CD copying. Screenshot of the Sony CD audio player, playing Switchfoot's fifth studio album Nothing Is Sound.Ī scandal erupted in 2005 regarding Sony BMG's implementation of copy protection measures on about 22 million CDs.