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Copyright protection: How far will Sony go?

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  • jmet
    Super Moderator
    • Nov 2002
    • 8697

    Copyright protection: How far will Sony go?

    After the firestorm kicked off by Sony's use of rootkit cloaking technology in CDs to prevent piracy, you might think other media firms would never consider such intrusive methods. But some observers believe the controversy may just lead studios to push for anticopying measures that are hard-wired into your system.

    This conflict between users who want to control what goes on inside their PCs and media companies that want to protect their content is not likely to abate so long as the companies try to control CD copying, says Gartner research director Mike McGuire.

    Since studios are unlikely to give up copy protection, he believes music firms may now redouble their efforts to get companies like Microsoft and Intel to build copy protection right into computers.

    Meanwhile, if studios persist in using technology like XCP, then PC and device makers may turn hostile toward such media firms' interests--especially if PC vendors end up fielding more support calls due to buggy copy-protection software, McGuire says.

    Sony is reviewing its copy-protection tactics (the company declined to comment for this story). But "there will be copy protection," says Helene Blue, president of Helene Blue Musique, an independent music publisher. Sony's big mistake was bringing out XCP without sufficient testing, Blue says, a mistake the firm seems unlikely to repeat after its embarrassment over XCP.

    Mark Russinovich, chief software architect with Winternals Software LP, took a hard look at XPC (created by First 4 Internet, a British firm) after playing a Sony XPC CD on his machine and encountering problems. He found that Sony's digital rights management scheme not only used technology typically employed by hackers, but it was designed in such a way that virus writers could hide their software with it, he says; he drew attention to the matter on his blog. His prediction came true--Trojan horse programs exploiting XCP began appearing on the Net soon after the problem was revealed.

    Several security programs now treat Sony's XCP as a threat, and the firm has recalled all XCP CDs. MediaMax, another CD copy protection program used by Sony, has its own security problems. It can create a hole through which malicious agents can access affected Windows PCs. To protect themselves, Sony advises users to patch the software. Sony also faces both a lawsuit brought by the Texas Attorney General and another filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation over XCP.

    Russinovich worries that we will still end up with invasive copy protection that runs roughshod over PCs, bogging down performance. "What I'm afraid of is that, after this is all said and done, the software is going to still be aggressive, and they'll just cover themselves by putting disclosure in the EULA [end user license agreement]," he says. Credit: PC World

    Is XCP Running on Your System?

    To find out if Sony's invasive DRM software is in your PC, Mark Russinovich advises users to choose Run from the Start menu, then type the following into the box that appears: cmd /k sc query $sys$aries. If the response is 'STATE: 4 RUNNING', you have the software. If you see, instead, 'The specified service does not exist as an installed service,' then you're clean. (Note that only Windows systems are vulnerable.)

    Edit: Here is a website that list all CD's with XCP. (Thanks to the member uufta for informing me about this site) - http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/titles.html
    Last edited by jmet; 29 Mar 2006, 06:01 AM.
  • blutach
    Not a god of digital video
    • Oct 2004
    • 24627

    #2
    I'm clean!

    Regards
    Les

    Essential progs - [PgcEdit] [VobBlanker] [MenuShrink] [IfoEdit] [Muxman] [DVD Remake Pro] [DVD Rebuilder] [BeSweet] [Media Player Classic] [DVDSubEdit] [ImgBurn]

    Media and Burning - [Golden Rules of Burning] [Media quality] [Fix your DMA] [Update your Firmware] [What's my Media ID Code?] [How to test your disc]
    [What's bitsetting?] [Burn dual layer disks safely] [Why not to burn with Ner0] [Interpret Ner0's burn errors] [Got bad playback?] [Burner/Media compatibility]

    Cool Techniques - [2COOL's guides] [Clean your DVD] [Join a flipper] [Split into 2 DVDs] [Save heaps of Mb] [How to mock strip] [Cool Insert Clips]

    Real useful info - [FAQ INDEX] [Compression explained] [Logical Remapping of Enabled Streams] [DVD-Replica] [Fantastic info on DVDs]


    You should only use genuine Verbatim or Taiyo Yuden media. Many thanks to www.pcx.com.au for their supply and great service.

    Explore the sites and the programs - there's a gold mine of information in them

    Don't forget to play the Digital Digest Quiz!!! (Click here)

    Comment

    • jmet
      Super Moderator
      • Nov 2002
      • 8697

      #3
      Me t00!

      Comment

      • atifsh
        Lord of Digital Video
        Lord of Digital Video
        • May 2003
        • 1534

        #4
        me too

        Can i say this........ mostly because of Klite Pro
        or not
        Seems like as soon you buy somehing, v. 2 comes out 1.5 times as fast!..!

        Comment

        • jwo62
          Super Moderator
          • May 2005
          • 407

          #5
          I'm clean too.

          Thanks for the info Jmet.
          ________
          VAPOR TOWER VAPORIZER
          Last edited by jwo62; 7 Mar 2011, 04:58 PM.

          Comment

          • uufta
            Digital Video Expert
            Digital Video Expert
            • Dec 2005
            • 635

            #6
            Feels good to be clean.

            Thanks for heads-up Jmet

            Comment

            • BR7
              He is coming to your little town!
              • Aug 2005
              • 2137

              #7
              I am squeaky clean thanks jmet

              My Blu-ray Collection

              Comment

              • soup
                Just Trying To Help
                • Nov 2005
                • 7524

                #8
                I'm clean and truly appreciate the heads up jmet thank you.

                Comment

                • codajohn
                  Digital Video Expert
                  Digital Video Expert
                  • Jul 2005
                  • 661

                  #9
                  I'm clean! How would you get XCP? What can we do to remain clean?
                  CJ
                  My DVD Collection
                  Register To Join Digital Video Forums


                  Dell Inspiron 9100 Laptop, Windows XP Home SP 2 (build 2600), 2.80GH Pent 4, ST94811A 40GB HD, 2GB RAM, NEC DVD+RW ND-6100A 104D, ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9700, External 250GB Maxtor HD, External LG-5163D A105

                  IBM ThinkCenter 8189, XP Pro, 3.2GH Pentium 4, 120 GB HD, 1GB Ram, BENQ DW1650 BCIC, Nvidia GeForce FX 5200, Generic floppy disk drive (3.5")

                  The Golden Rules of Burning

                  Comment

                  • kevrit
                    Junior Member
                    Junior Member
                    • Nov 2005
                    • 8

                    #10
                    I'm clean too! Is XCP built into your system, downloaded through a Microsoft update, or from copying a CD?

                    Comment

                    • splean
                      Member
                      Member
                      • Jan 2006
                      • 84

                      #11
                      I'm clean

                      Originally Posted by codajohn
                      I'm clean! How would you get XCP? What can we do to remain clean?
                      That's what I wanna know.

                      Originally Posted by kevrit
                      I'm clean too! Is XCP built into your system, downloaded through a Microsoft update, or from copying a CD?
                      Well, its not built into your system.. obviously. If it's downloaded through a Microsoft update they have to give a detailed description of what is being installed on your computer. Same goes for copying a CD.

                      Comment

                      • mill
                        Im Off To See The Wizard
                        • Oct 2005
                        • 1105

                        #12
                        im clean think i will create a restore point. why cant they just leave us alone?
                        Keep Plugin away

                        Comment

                        • philbam
                          Junior Member
                          Junior Member
                          • Oct 2004
                          • 21

                          #13
                          Thanks JMET . I'm clean too!!
                          PhilB

                          Comment

                          • aaabbb
                            Junior Member
                            Junior Member
                            • Jan 2006
                            • 1

                            #14
                            I am new. I have downloaded dvd43, now how do I use it? When I try to open it it says" idle 1/1 video dvds detected. But that is it. What now?

                            Comment

                            • ed klein
                              Banned
                              • Mar 2004
                              • 880

                              #15
                              I am clean too

                              If your computer is infected by this Sony home grown BS.

                              Both Sony and Microsoft have tools to remove it from your computer.
                              I would use the Microsoft version and not the Sony version to remove it from my computer. I read this somewhere, but I can not remember the web site location or I would pass it on.

                              If you know a "hacker" check with him/her they know the URL location.

                              Comment

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