November 18th, 2005
Sony BMG Offers Unprotected CDs, MP3 Files in Exchange Program
By Michael Santo
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews
In what could be characteristics as the first news from Sony BMG that might actually generate some positive response, Sony BMG announced today that it would swap unprotected CDs as well as unprotected MP3 files to consumers in exchange for XCP protected CDs. Sony BMG had previously announced a recall and exchange program, but the fact that the new CDs would be unprotected as well as the availability of MP3 files was not earlier made public.
Full details of the program can be found in a letter to customers at http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/. Still to be fixed, as item #6 in Sony BMG’s list of items done / to be done, is a new uninstaller for the XCP software, as the old uninstaller had security vulnerabilities.
According to the website, Sony will pay for shipping in both directions. I went through some of the return process, and it looks like it will take 3-6 weeks for a return and an email with a link for the MP3s will be sent once the CDs have been received and verified by Sony.
We Say: I like the fact that the exchanged CDs will be unprotected, and I also like the offer of MP3s as well. I have to say, this is the first story I read with Sony BMG in it, where I actually thought, “well, that’s actually a decent offer.” Don’t get me wrong, the “rootkit” that was installed is a major problem not just for end users, but for businesses that may have the XCP software installed on their systems, and this does not “make up” for that … or for the security problems created by the uninstaller. This is just a good first step.
John Corliss says:
Because of the way it took action on the part of the U.S. government to get Sony to stop dragging their heels on dealing with the rootkit issue, I for one will never trust Sony again or purchase another one of their products. I will also be keeping an eye out for any attempts on their part to sell products under an alias.
As far as I’m concerned, Sony cut their own throat. Bye bye, Sony…
November 19th, 2005 at 2:06 am
Fracture says:
Needless to say, I’ve lost all trust in Sony. Anything they say and do is suspect. In this case: unprotected does not mean untrackable. I’ll be amazed if the MP3’s don’t include unique signatures.
Even if they don’t, they’ll spin it for gains:
“Look, we gave out this MP3 in good faith. Now it’s on the internet! Gasp! Our sales have dropped. Our loss in profit is purely due to illegal copying! Give us better DRM that people won’t notice! What boycot? There’s not boycot! Nothing to do with anything.”
November 20th, 2005 at 10:19 am
Andy says:
“..I have to say, this is the first story I read with Sony BMG in it, where I actually thought, ‘well, that’s actually a decent offer.’”
Sorry to disagree. Giving a disc with the music on it when a customer paid for, unsurprisingly, a disc with the music on it, doesn’t strike me as much of a decent offer.
November 20th, 2005 at 12:04 pm
Mat says:
So where is the “nice gesture”? I disagree with the article as well. The customers originally thought they were getting an audio CD, presumably one that they could use to put the tracks they purchased on an mp3 player. Now Sony, the nice guys, are giving them CD’s with the wav and the mp3. Other than ripping it for them - which really isn’t worth much - I see the customer getting essentially what they were paying for in the first place.
When compared with the tumult and damage caused by their CD’s, I’d say the favor of a rip “on the house” doesn’t come ANYWHERE close to being repentant, nor showing good faith.
All Sony did was provide a legal remedy, not an apologizing outreach or compensatory gift.
November 22nd, 2005 at 4:19 pm
Fracture says:
Quote: All Sony did was provide a legal remedy, not an apologizing outreach or compensatory gift.
Ah, you may have something particularly important there. Anyone who accepts the SONY CD may find themselves excluded from any further remedy. No doubt there will be a click-through EULA with 20 pages of fine print to get your replacement…
November 23rd, 2005 at 4:14 pm