Glee
Is it possible?
It's all I'm asking myself these days.
Let's review the facts first.
Sony Bertelsman Music Group, owned by Sony, put a piece of software on its music cds. The software is comparable(sort of) to a rootkit. It hides its own presence and there is proof of concept out there on exploits. The software opens vulnerabilities in your computer, and you do not even know it is there.
That's pretty bad but not devastating, the attorney general of texas has now filed a lawsuit. The state wants civil penalties of $100,000 per violation of the state's Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act.
In other words, $100,000 for every installation of the software, which in Texas alone should be hundreds of thousands, if not millions.
Do the math, no, let me do it for you:
Let's say there is exactly 100,000 installations:
Then Sony must pay $10,000,000,000 -yes, that's ten billion dollars in the state of Texas alone, and that is a conservative estimate.
But believe it or not, that's not the real juice. The real juice is this; it is rumoured that Sony used open source software inside its own software. So what's the big deal, open source means its free right. Yes, right, but no, wrong. You see, you have to include the little text, the one that says that this software is made by and this is how you may use it. And in that little text, it says that you cannot sell it for profit. So if Sony did include open source software, and distributed it on millions of cds all over the world, and then sold them for profit. Well, they can't do that. It's illegal. It is a breach of (big irony) copyright law. Now, Sony and other members of RIAA have sued several thousands individuals for breach of same copyright law, they have asked for five figure sums from 12 year olds and grandmothers in some highly publicised cases. So it would seem only reasonable for the makers of the software that Sony pirated to do the same in return. A five figure sum(in dollars) for every CD Sony have sold in the past two years.
Do the math: No wait, don't bother. No matter how conservative you make this estimate, then Sony cannot afford to pay it. Sonys shareholders will have to give Sony to the makers of the software that Sony pirated. And still it won't be enough.
So imagine that, Sony, in the hands of a few programming geeks.
I hope it's true. I really, really hope it's true. And this only proves what I've always said: Rich people are stupid. Fuck 'em.
b
It's all I'm asking myself these days.
Let's review the facts first.
Sony Bertelsman Music Group, owned by Sony, put a piece of software on its music cds. The software is comparable(sort of) to a rootkit. It hides its own presence and there is proof of concept out there on exploits. The software opens vulnerabilities in your computer, and you do not even know it is there.
That's pretty bad but not devastating, the attorney general of texas has now filed a lawsuit. The state wants civil penalties of $100,000 per violation of the state's Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act.
In other words, $100,000 for every installation of the software, which in Texas alone should be hundreds of thousands, if not millions.
Do the math, no, let me do it for you:
Let's say there is exactly 100,000 installations:
Then Sony must pay $10,000,000,000 -yes, that's ten billion dollars in the state of Texas alone, and that is a conservative estimate.
But believe it or not, that's not the real juice. The real juice is this; it is rumoured that Sony used open source software inside its own software. So what's the big deal, open source means its free right. Yes, right, but no, wrong. You see, you have to include the little text, the one that says that this software is made by and this is how you may use it. And in that little text, it says that you cannot sell it for profit. So if Sony did include open source software, and distributed it on millions of cds all over the world, and then sold them for profit. Well, they can't do that. It's illegal. It is a breach of (big irony) copyright law. Now, Sony and other members of RIAA have sued several thousands individuals for breach of same copyright law, they have asked for five figure sums from 12 year olds and grandmothers in some highly publicised cases. So it would seem only reasonable for the makers of the software that Sony pirated to do the same in return. A five figure sum(in dollars) for every CD Sony have sold in the past two years.
Do the math: No wait, don't bother. No matter how conservative you make this estimate, then Sony cannot afford to pay it. Sonys shareholders will have to give Sony to the makers of the software that Sony pirated. And still it won't be enough.
So imagine that, Sony, in the hands of a few programming geeks.
I hope it's true. I really, really hope it's true. And this only proves what I've always said: Rich people are stupid. Fuck 'em.
b
posted by bangskij at 12:53
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