[Cicero]

This is serious business. Sony had better get busy with an Antivirus specialist and make a little kit that tests whether users have installed this malware, and if it is present, allows easy removal without jumping through nine hoops.

[oceanview]

you were saying about how this is just a "poor little industry" protecting itself from thieves? look what its doing to the PCs of people WHO BUY THE CD HONESTLY.

[Spktyr]

Do you smell that? That's the smell of chum in the water.

Expect lawsuits soon - especially if this appears in a lawyer's office.

[seacapn]

Is this even legal?

Sounds like the making of a class-action lawsuit for mass-hacking of computer devices - which is also a criminal violation.

[TommyDale]

I have been reading some horror stories about the effects of DRM malware. Microsoft admits now that if anyone changes a drive or otherwise changes a computer's configuration, the user would have to pay again to use the content that had already been purchased once. This is going to blow up in the faces of Sony/BMG and Microsoft and any other companies that were stupid enough to attempt to slip this by...

[Izzy Dunne]

After tracing the rouge software

Beware that rouge software.

[Anti-Bubba182]

"...allow(s) easy removal without jumping through nine hoops."

Or get ready for a bruising class action lawsuit.

[polymuser]

All your songs will soon belong to us.
And all your software.
And all your blogs.
And all your e-mail/IM.
And all your files.
And all your cell calls.
And you, citizen.

[kingu]

Isn't there a ton of laws on the books that expressly forbids the installation of software onto a computer without the permission of the user?

Isn't installing this software onto a networked machine invading someone's network?

If Fitzy isn't busy in Washington DC anymore, this would be a good case to prosecute. That is if the government can crawl out of the RIAA's pockets first.

[soltice]

Charge them storage space at the tune of $100 per byte per hour and send them a bill!

A charge of trespass and breaking and entering would also be appropriate in this case since they had no permission to invade the computer.

Burn them and all the lawyers and judges and crooked politicians who are encouraging this. The PAYOLA must be huge for the republican congress.

[TommyDale]

And the music industry wonders why people don't want to buy their products? Well, duh!!

[TomGuy]

This is reminiscent of what some software co's tried to do in the 1980's. Lotus1-2-3 required the Lotus disk be in the floppy drive, even if the program was installed on a hard drive.

Soon, software co's found themselves losing business because users were turning away from such restrictive products.

Even in those early years, MS tried to remain highly proprietary. They discovered that users demanded compatibility and conversion capabilities with non-MS software. MS gave in. Otherwise, Word and Excel would have gone the way of Lotus123 and Wordstar.

CD companies may find the same thing. If a purchaser doesn't have universal use capabilities, the user may quit purchasing. Such things are market driven.

[TommyDale]

Here's a good one -- go to the Sony/BMG site and download the removal software. Oh, surprise! If you are using Firefox, you can't get it...you will need to use the ActiveX and Internet Explorer. That will make some more friends for Sony!

[TommyDale]

I am tempted to actually go out and buy one of these CDs from Sony/BMG, just to qualify for participation in the class action lawsuit. Of course, in these cases, the actual victims would get a $2 coupon toward the purchase of a Sony CD, while the lawyers make trillions of dollars.

[seastay]

A complete listing of Sony Music artists from A to Z can be found here;

http://www.sonymusic.com/artists/

[NavVet]

I have a friend that tells me that is why she gets her music exclusively from Kazza.

[SamAdams76]

While Sony fiddles and diddles with finding ways to screw their customers, Apple has eaten their lunch with the iPod, rendering the Walkman a historical curiosity.

Sony could have owned the MP3 player market and extended the dominance of the Walkman at least another generation. But NO!

[Tench_Coxe]

"The patch will be made available for download from Sony BMG's Web site, with another offered directly to antivirus vendors. The DRM software will not be removed, however, only uncovered; that means users will still be unable to delete it without risk of rendering their CD drive inoperable."

Apparently they still won't let it be removed. Class action lawsuit time.

[Tunehead54]

bump for later. I went through 10 different sony "help" centers trying to clear their crap off my computer ... I agree its class action time and I don't say that lightly. THEY DESERVE IT!

[MediaMole]

Bump.

This is serious business. If the rootkit is installed on your computer, you have a seriously compromised system. A hacker can easily install and run ANYTHING that begins with $sys$, and you won't even know it.

Sony claims there is no security danger. They are lying. Once this rootkit is installed, a hacker could easily control your system.

[B Knotts]

There must be a criminal prosecution for this.