Sony Says Canadians Are Different Than Americans When It Comes To Rootkits

from the they-can-take-it dept

Thu, Sep 14th 2006 12:55pm — Mike Masnick

We were just saying how Sony's rootkit is still causing technical problems for users -- and it turns out it's still causing some legal ones as well. While Sony ended up settling the US-based lawsuit against it concerning the rootkits in the US, it took them a bit longer to work out the details in Canada. You would think that it wouldn't be too hard to knock out a similar settlement, but it turns out that Sony BMG apparently believes Canadians deserve different treatment than those of us in the US. Apparently, among a bunch of odd assertions, Canadians don't need the same settlement terms because they already benefit from the US settlement -- and therefore, it's okay that Sony BMG not have any new copy protections reviewed by independent researchers for security issues (as they agreed to in the US). It's apparently okay for them to install copy protection without telling people in Canada, which again, they cannot do in the US. It's true that many CDs will all be pressed the same way for the North American market -- but that doesn't explain why Canadians don't deserve the same deal as the folks in the US received.

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17 Comments

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Sanguine Dream, 14 Sep 2006 @ 1:13pm

See...
All those posts people made about moving to Canada has finally gotten someone's attention. Well time to start looking for a new country to threaten to move to...
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Overcast, 14 Sep 2006 @ 1:20pm

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Not much more to say.. lol
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Sep 2006 @ 1:31pm

Hey, Canadians rolled over for government gun control, why not corporate computer control?

Evidently the canucks are more OK with special interests buying their courts and goverments than those of us in the US.

It happens both places, but evidently Canucks are more apthetic about it.
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John, 14 Sep 2006 @ 1:47pm

Canucks
We here in Canuckland just don't complain.

We are tech savvy.

We just download all the hacks you 'merican come up with :)
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James, 14 Sep 2006 @ 2:00pm

UGH... this is an easy fix
STOP BUYING THIER SH*T! Lets see how much copy protection they throw in when no one wants their product.... the free market really is a great thing if people let it do its job.
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Just Me, 14 Sep 2006 @ 2:09pm

have stopped buying sony products a long time ago...and don't see myself change my mind any time soon about sony and their badly designed products, research and policies.
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Sanguine Dream, 14 Sep 2006 @ 2:09pm

Re: UGH... this is an easy fix

the free market really is a great thing if people let it do its job.

And that's why big business is going what it can lobby the government to make laws in their favor while letting you think you still have a choice.
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MikeR, 14 Sep 2006 @ 2:16pm

Re:
"Evidently the canucks are more OK with special interests buying their courts and goverments than those of us in the US."

Heh - the biggest reason our (Canucks) prescription drug prices are lower than in the US is because we put up a stink about it in the 80's when patent protection for drugs was extended from 7 years to 28. Americans seemed to think the drug companies would "do the right thing". We knew better.

If the Sony rootkit is deemed a threat by Canucks, trust me, it will be dealt with. For the most part (not always) our courts seem to give better rulings in these types of cases.
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Jamie, 14 Sep 2006 @ 2:19pm

Re: Re: UGH... this is an easy fix
"And that's why big business is going what it can lobby the government to make laws in their favor while letting you think you still have a choice."

True free markets are free of gov interference. Doesn't matter whether the interference is designed to prop up big business or cripple it. Once those laws are in place, you aren't living in a free market anymore.
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UCGunjin, 14 Sep 2006 @ 2:23pm

Just don't buy sony products anymore.
Yes, but you buy CD's don't you? You buy players don't you? That technology was patented by Sony. You buy ANY cd or dvd or related product and you make sony richer. As my good buddy Carlos Mencia would say, DE DE DE!!!!
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anonymous, 14 Sep 2006 @ 2:50pm

grammar
I'm the guy who confessed to writing essays for hire the other day...when we were all discussing how bad they are...I said i was a writer...and I needed the money.. now im just a nit picker.. .. in the headline... it should read...'different FROM, not different THAN' its a pet peeve of mine. sorry. and I told you my essays dont suck. :D
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pong, 14 Sep 2006 @ 3:28pm

Re: Canucks
we in canada? i disagree with you. i live in canada and am fairly tech savvy, but 97% of people i know are not.
my parents, sister, the majority of my friends, most of my co-workers. as a society, we are no different than our good neighbours south of the border. the only difference in canada is that we roll over when our government tells us what's what. we dont give a %^$& what they do. it's a sad sad state to be as a country. at least in the USA people don't let politicians steam roll over them, they complain and make their voices hear! i for one applaud the states for being so vocal in the protection of their freedoms. GO USA! i can't say the same for us canadians. we expect govenment interference and it seems to me Okay with most of us.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Sep 2006 @ 5:52pm

Re: Just don't buy sony products anymore.
since when have cds and dvds in general been patented by sony? phillips invented the cd, if anyone has a patent on a cd then it would probably be them... and dvds? probably not... sony wishes they held the patent on dvds
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Dawger, 14 Sep 2006 @ 11:38pm

Listen
It is worth repeating....Just dont buy any music for 6 months. Belive me thay will get the message. Come on people it is just music.... Do without for 6 months, they will cave.
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Anonyloss, 15 Sep 2006 @ 7:16am

Rootkits ahead
Sure Sony puts it on the music CD. Micro$oft in Vista will provide it at the OS level for them. So we all get rookits when we move to Vista... Follow the money. Micro$oft has been real buddy buddy with the content industry...
As for Sony... I was looking at the PS3, but now I'll see what Wii gives me...
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ebrke, 15 Sep 2006 @ 7:29am

Re: Re: Canucks
Some of us scream, for all the good it does us. Until we can buy a congressperson for our very own, we just go on getting shafted by our "elected" officials.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Sep 2006 @ 10:20pm

I think they are trying to say that they CD's are the same, so if US customers get it, so do the Canadian's. And I believe them cause all they care about is making money. From an economic point of view it wouldn't make sense for them to have a clean (or vetted) US CD and a rootkit CA CD. And from a provention point of view if it is going to work it has to be on ALL CD's..... However it doesn't say they won't do it again. It says that a third party will check their software next time.... a third party, coincidentally owned by the bosses son no doubt.
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