It's a phoney

"Mark Russinovich couldn't understand how the rootkit had sneaked onto his system. After a bit of detective work, it turns out that Sony is using techniques normally seen only in spyware and computer viruses in order to restrict the unauthorized copying of some of its music CDs. Sony's software, licensed by Sony from a Banbury, UK, company called First 4 Internet, has become the basis of a dispute that once again pits computer advocates against an entertainment company experimenting with new ways to prevent the unauthorized copying of its products.

"Sony has been using First 4's XCP (Extended Copy Protection) software since early 2005 as a copy protection mechanism for some of its music CDs, according to Sony spokesperson John McKay. He could not say how many of Sony's CDs currently use the XCP software, but he said it is one of two digital rights management products used by the company. The other is SunnComm's MediaMax software, he said.

"The XCP software prevents users from making more than three backup copies of any CD, and Sony puts an XCP notification on the back of CDs that use the mechanism, according to Mathew Gilliat-Smith, First 4's chief executive officer.

Although the Van Zant CD software came with an end user license agreement (EULA) informing him that he would be installing software that would reside on his PC until removed, Russinovich, who works as chief software architect with systems software company Winternals Software, said he never expected to be installing a product that would then prove to be virtually undetectable and extremely difficult to remove.

"Sony's McKay believes that the disclosures in the license agreement are adequate. "I think the EULA's pretty clear about what it is," he said. "The reason why consumers have really high acceptance levels of these content-protected discs is because they have the functionality that people want."

The First 4 software does nothing malicious and can be uninstalled, should the user want to remove it, McKay said. That uninstall process is not exactly straightforward, however, and cannot be done through the Add or Remove Programs utility in the Windows control panel. When asked for instructions on how to uninstall the software, McKay directed the IDG News Service to a section of the Sonybmg.com Web site where users could ask Sony customer support for uninstall directions."

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,123362,00.asp

"Windows users cannot listen to tracks on the CD without agreeing to install the anti-piracy program, which merely advises that "it will install a small proprietary software program" that will remain there "until removed or deleted."

"But according to Mikko Hypponen, director of research for Finnish antivirus company F-Secure Corp., users who want to remove the program may not do so directly, but must fill out a form on Sony's Web site, download additional software, wait for a phone call from a technical support specialist, and then download and install yet another program that removes the files.

"While the anti-piracy software allows consumers to make a limited number of additional copy-protected discs, it also imposes compatibility and portability constraints. Users of Apple Inc.'s iPod -- the dominant portable media player on the market -- have no way of transferring tracks from protected Sony CDs to their device, since Apple has not yet licensed its own DRM technology for use with copy-protected discs.

"David Eisner, a blogger and software developer at the University of Maryland's Computer Aided Life Cycle Engineering Center, believes the record label's actions will ultimately backfire and drive otherwise legitimate customers to download pirated music from the online file-sharing networks. "The people they're trying to stop from stealing their music are always going to find a way around these types of technologies," Eisner said. "Sony is just hurting people who obtain their products legally, and many of these same people are now going to think twice about doing so."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/02/AR2005110202362.html

Update

"After a chorus of criticism, Sony Corp.'s music division said Wednesday it is distributing a free software patch to reveal hidden files that automatically installed to hard drives when some of its music CDs were played on personal computers. The patches that reveal the hidden files are being made available to antivirus companies as well as customers who visit the Sony BMG site.

"They do not remove the copy protection software, however. McKay said customers can request a program to safely uninstall everything by visiting the Sony BMG Web site at http://cp.sonybmg.com. That site, however, requires a form to be filled out and submitted.

"In a test of the form late Wednesday, an e-mail confirming receipt was quickly returned by Sony BMG customer service, but it included no instructions on how to remove the software. The message promised another reply "shortly."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1700AP_Sony_Copy_Protection.html