Sony’s Malware: DRM Rootkit
Last week was lots of fun if you work in Sony-BMG’s PR department. First, there was the discovery that the latest Van Zant CD installed a bunch of malware without the user’s permission. After a mountain of negative press and public pressure, Sony-BMG saw sense and issued a patch to address customers’ concerns.
Unfortunately for Sony-BMG, the move may have come too late to dodge the US national pastime: the class action lawsuit. According to News.com, San Francisco law firm Green Welling, are already salivating over this.
“We’re still investigating the case and talking to different people about what happened to them,” said Robert Green, a partner at The Firm. Green’s main argument will be that customers should be informed if an audio CD’s copy protection extends to installing a bunch of software on your PC. Of course they should, though you can image that such ‘consent’ may well be tucked away in a long and confusing End User License Agreement (EULA) full of legalese that nobody will read. Naturally, that is no defence, but is it too much to expect companies to play fairly? Most users just tick the box and click Next.