ponto
December 29th, 2006, 04:35 AM
SONY BMG Music Entertainment has agreed to pay the Commonwealth of Kentucky and 39 additional states the sum of $4.25 million to resolve the States’ investigation into problems that arose when SONY BMG placed anti-copying software on music CDs.
One version of the software was called XCP and this software was designed to hide or “cloak” a number of the program’s files and operations so that when consumers played XCP CDs in their Windows-based computers, consumers did not know that the anti-copying software was downloaded onto their computers. XCP created vulnerabilities on Windows-based computers by exposing them to security exploits, including viruses and other problems.
Also, when consumers did discover XCP on their computers, they experienced problems when they tried on their own to remove the software. Some consumers who tried to remove XCP had their CD- ROM drives crash.
Another version of the anti-copying software used by SONY BMG, called MediaMax, caused a driver to download on a consumer’s computer even if the consumer declined to accept the software. One version of MediaMax, Media Max 5.0, also created a less significant security vulnerability on consumers’ computers, by allowing subsequent users the ability to modify the contents of the computer, and to run dangerous programs that they would not otherwise have been able to run.
Under the terms of the settlement, SONY BMG will provide refunds up to $175 to all consumers who experienced harm to their computers when they sought to remove the DRM software. Refund claims must be submitted to SONY BMG through a claims process which SONY BMG will publicize on its website (http://www.sonybmg.com/).
One version of the software was called XCP and this software was designed to hide or “cloak” a number of the program’s files and operations so that when consumers played XCP CDs in their Windows-based computers, consumers did not know that the anti-copying software was downloaded onto their computers. XCP created vulnerabilities on Windows-based computers by exposing them to security exploits, including viruses and other problems.
Also, when consumers did discover XCP on their computers, they experienced problems when they tried on their own to remove the software. Some consumers who tried to remove XCP had their CD- ROM drives crash.
Another version of the anti-copying software used by SONY BMG, called MediaMax, caused a driver to download on a consumer’s computer even if the consumer declined to accept the software. One version of MediaMax, Media Max 5.0, also created a less significant security vulnerability on consumers’ computers, by allowing subsequent users the ability to modify the contents of the computer, and to run dangerous programs that they would not otherwise have been able to run.
Under the terms of the settlement, SONY BMG will provide refunds up to $175 to all consumers who experienced harm to their computers when they sought to remove the DRM software. Refund claims must be submitted to SONY BMG through a claims process which SONY BMG will publicize on its website (http://www.sonybmg.com/).