# Sony DRM malware **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 2, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162 "2005-11-02T20:45:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/81 "2005-11-11T23:12:59Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > I’ll admit I haven’t read the article yet, but how exactly will this work in the arena of game rentals? I have read articles about this I didn’t read the specific one posted. The scheme would break the rental model. I suppose that Sony could release special versions for rental that would work differently but by and large used and rental games is what they are trying to eliminate. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/82 "2005-11-11T23:25:41Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > In a [related article](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9973890/): > > I’ll tell you whose PC it is. It’s _my_ fucking PC. And this whole episode has made me very leery of ever buying anything Sony ever again. Amen. I hate lame ass question like that. Why of course its _Sony’s_ PC! :rolleyes: I’ve bought tons of Sony shit over the years, but I’m starting an indefinite boycott today. Fuck them, this wallet is talking to someone else. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/83 "2005-11-12T00:31:57Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > In a [related article](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9973890/): > > I’ll tell you whose PC it is. It’s _my_ fucking PC. And this whole episode has made me very leery of ever buying anything Sony ever again. exacxtly, their right to install crapware/spyware ends at _my_ optical drive media tray in _MY_ computer, software vendors/advertisers/malware authors and other various and sundry scumsuckers have _no_ right to alter the behavior of _my_ personal equipment, _I_ decide what goes in my computer, not malware scumvendors just glad i own a Mac, and will no longer be buying Sony products, that’s a pity, as their TV’s are nice, and i _do_ have a PS2… and on the idea to lock games to the original PS2 they were played on, rental/used market aside, what happens if your PS2 dies and you have to replace it with a new one, do you have to buy your games _all over again?_, sony’s got their head so far up their collective asses it’s not funny… ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/84 "2005-11-12T00:54:36Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > just glad i own a Mac, and will no longer be buying Sony products, that’s a pity, as their TV’s are nice, and i _do_ have a PS2… Holding the shift key on my PC is no big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/85 "2005-11-12T01:03:45Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > Holding the shift key on my PC is no big deal. I’m bettin’ it’ll be a big deal that one time you _forget_ to hold the shift key, or when someone else pops in a music CD on your computer without doing so. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/86 "2005-11-12T01:17:57Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > just glad i own a Mac, and will no longer be buying Sony products, that’s a pity, as their TV’s are nice, and i _do_ have a PS2… [Sadly, Macs aren’t safe from Sony either.](http://www.macintouch.com/#tip.2005.11.10.sony) > [@Dag Otto](#): > > That site also has this story about how Sony might modify Playstation games to “ensure that no game would be playable from any console other than the one in which it was first read”. Nothing definite, but now I don’t doubt Sony would do try it. That’s bullshit. What if I buy a used game? What if my Playstation breaks? What if I want to play the game at a friend’s house? Remember how Nintendo shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with the N64? If Sony tries shit like this, the same thing will happen to them. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/87 "2005-11-12T01:35:55Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > [Sadly, Macs aren’t safe from Sony either.](http://www.macintouch.com/#tip.2005.11.10.sony) i know, i read the article, still, sony scumware fiasco aside, i haven’t actually bought a CD from a brick-and-mortar shop (or a music store for that matter either 😉 ) in at least 2+ years, i get my music from the iTunes Music Store, and i buy a lot less music now than i did in high school and college, mainly because [old fogey voice] all this newfangled “music” sucks anyway[/OFV], i don’t listen to stupid boy-bands, teenybopper junk, any of the “instant music, just add water (creativity sold seperately)” or rap/hip hop/whatever they’re calling it these days i’m an old school '70s/'80s/'90s rocker, more towards the heavy metal side anyway so i’m inadvertently safe from the sony crapware anyway for those unfortunate souls that fill out the information neccecary to get the malware uninstall instructions, what do you want to bet they get deluged with spam from this, anyone want to do an experiment and get a throwaway e-mail address simply to see if sony sells the e-mail addresses to spammers? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/88 "2005-11-12T01:53:20Z")
> [@Lightnin'](#): > > I’m bettin’ it’ll be a big deal that one time you _forget_ to hold the shift key, or when someone else pops in a music CD on your computer without doing so. Not really, I’d just decline the prompt. Might as well go ahead and disable the autorun anyway though. PCs are easy to secure if you’re not a moron, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/89 "2005-11-12T02:38:40Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > Not really, I’d just decline the prompt. Might as well go ahead and disable the autorun anyway though. PCs are easy to secure if you’re not a moron, that’s all. Either way, I don’t think I’m going to go around giving money to a company that tries to get around my security. Simply put, I think it’s going to be a while before I start letting Sony try to earn my trust again. It’s my money, and I’ll be damned if it’s going to a bunch of dishonest motherfuckers like Sony. Of course, Sony/BMG distributes a lot of smaller labels’ stuff, and I’ll probably slip up and buy something at some point. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/90 "2005-11-12T07:46:36Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > Not really, I’d just decline the prompt. Might as well go ahead and disable the autorun anyway though. PCs are easy to secure if you’re not a moron, that’s all. Nobody is obligated to be computer-savy. It’s probably easy to check your car’s engine, or the wiring of your house if you aren’t a moron, too. It would still be a big deal if an electrician changed the wiring of your house or a mechanic made some “adjustments” of his own on your car. I find your comment rather insulting. Am I allowed to call you a moron if you don’t know, for instance, how to make simple repairs on your TV set? I can tell apart some similar looking toxic and edible mushrooms. So, I assume that I can call anybody poisoned by mushrooms he bought a moron because he assumed mushrooms sold in a shop would be safe instead of educating himself about amanites? Everybody who doesn’t know the basics about _everything_ is a moron? Or maybe you just meant that no kind of deceit is a big deal, because you can always educate yourself about anything in order to avoid the bad consequences? ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/91 "2005-11-12T08:07:42Z")
Can someone please give me some factual answers about the EULA on these CDs? I want to understand how and when the user knows about the EULA. 1. Is there notice visible on the outside of the unopened package saying that I must agree to a EULA to play the CD on my PC? 2. Is there notice of the EULA visible after one opens the package? 3. Is the text of the EULA in printed form on or in the package? 4. Does the EULA appear in a dialog box before the software is installed? ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/92 "2005-11-12T13:46:28Z")
**zagloba** , from what I’ve read in the news, the answer to #1 is definitely NO, and the answer to #4 is definitely YES. I don’t know about whether a printed EULA can be found inside the package or not, but I suspect the answer is NO. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/93 "2005-11-12T15:37:40Z")
Also, regarding number 2. IF Sony were to print the EULA in clear language inside the CD case, it’s now pretty worthless. Once that case is opened you can’t return it. So, if you buy a disk, open it and discover this shit will be installed on your PC, tough titties. You own the fucking thing anyway. I just realized something. As a late bloomer to PC games (I’m an X-Box guy) I bought and installed Everquest about 2 weeks ago. Do I have to worry about it? How would I know if they’ve included this title in their journey of pissing off everyone? ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/94 "2005-11-12T15:40:58Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Nobody is obligated to be computer-savy. It’s probably easy to check your car’s engine, or the wiring of your house if you aren’t a moron, too. It would still be a big deal if an electrician changed the wiring of your house or a mechanic made some “adjustments” of his own on your car? What’s kind of funny about this is that the guy who discovered it is pretty much the definition of “computer-savvy” – he used his own RootKit Revealer software to find it, after all. **World Eater** , I am with you to a degree – “the media” does tend to breathlessly overstate the importance of computer problems, assuming that most people haven’t the first clue how they work. But needing to make modifications to my system to secure it, or to practice constant vigilance, is not a stable setup. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/95 "2005-11-12T18:37:29Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > I just realized something. As a late bloomer to PC games (I’m an X-Box guy) I bought and installed Everquest about 2 weeks ago. Do I have to worry about it? How would I know if they’ve included this title in their journey of pissing off everyone? Good question. Wouldn’t surprise me if Sony included their malware on any software they distribute and/or develop. I hope people like the guy who found this on his machine from the audio disk are also keeping an eye out for this being installed from stuff like PC games. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/96 "2005-11-12T19:49:21Z")
> [@](#): > > When you pay the shopkeeper for the CD, you are “buying” the CD, i.e. the piece of plastic. You are not buying the copyright. Yes but the copyright does not allow (I really hope) the holder to damage the property of the consumer. Also I can’t see how this isn’t a violation of the MS Windows copyright. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/97 "2005-11-12T21:00:12Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Also I can’t see how this isn’t a violation of the MS Windows copyright. How is installing a program on a computer a violation of Microsoft’s copyright on Windows? By your logic, any program installed on a Windows computer is violating copyright. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/98 "2005-11-12T21:21:41Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > That’s bullshit. What if I buy a used game? What if my Playstation breaks? What if I want to play the game at a friend’s house? Remember how Nintendo shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with the N64? If Sony tries shit like this, the same thing will happen to them. I suppose the idea is, you will buy games instead of renting them; and if your Playstation breaks, you’ll have to buy new copies of all your games. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/99 "2005-11-12T21:40:49Z")
**mhendo** , maybe she’s thinking because it changes the registry, or hoses Windows Vista? **Der Trihs** they’d better make their games a LOT cheaper, or offer BIG discounts or some kind of “game replacement” program to those whose consoles die then, or they’ll lose a lot more customers than they stand to make. IMO, that is a dirty trick to pull on your customers. Downright unethical. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162/100 "2005-11-12T21:50:21Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > **Der Trihs** they’d better make their games a LOT cheaper, or offer BIG discounts or some kind of “game replacement” program to those whose consoles die then, or they’ll lose a lot more customers than they stand to make. IMO, that is a dirty trick to pull on your customers. Downright unethical. True, and I never said I thought it would work that way in reality. In _reality_, if they try that customers will simply buy a different system, or not buy one at all. Hell, I certainly wouldn’t buy something like that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sony-drm-malware/329162.md?page=6)