For some time now, there has been a lot of talk about piracy: downloading music for free, burning CDs, sharing music files and all other creative methods of theft. Those within the music and movie industries have been working to protect their products, introducing legislation that makes it easier to go after “online thieves,” and winning thousands of lawsuits against people who illegally download music and movies. For some people, the threat of legal action is not enough, so companies have looked to develop programs that keep consumers from pirating the music that they are attempting to sell.
So far, the majority of these attempts to protect CDs have been rather benign, though they can be annoying. One of the more popular forms of protection is “end-user license agreements.” This contract makes users agree to a long list of restrictions before they can use the product they have purchased. Some license agreements, like that listed on Sony BMG’s compact disks, can be rather restrictive: The music cannot be loaded onto a work computer; music loaded onto home PCs cannot be taken out of the country; and people who no longer possess the original CD are required to delete music they have loaded onto their computers.
Some of these restrictions are unfair and, for lack of a better word, silly. I have had a CD break and the only reason I can continue listening to the music I paid for is because I had already loaded it onto my computer. Although I think some of these terms are a little restrictive, I see why they are necessary.
A lot of people are out there stealing and distributing music. I understand burning the occasional CD from a friend or downloading the occasional song. But a lot of people take it too far and, any way you spin it, it is theft.
There are a few popular defenses for piracy: The artists make enough money as it is, and most CDs only have a few good songs. Well, lucky enough, all of this music downloading has led to legitimate Web sites where people can buy single songs. These sites are a convenient way to get the music you want. Aside from the quality of the CD as a whole, I have heard a lot of scorn when it comes to music artists and how much money they make. This I can understand. If Hillary Duff, for instance, is complaining about not getting all the money that she is due, I find it hard to muster any sympathy. Those who have seen those programs about the ridiculously expensive things celebrities buy should at least be able to see where I am coming from. My lack of concern for the millionaire artists is balanced out by my appreciation for all of the people who work on recording, producing, creating and selling the CDs, who certainly deserve to be paid.
Music is a product just like anything else you find in a store. And just like anything else, if you take it without paying, you are stealing. With that in mind, I can understand why companies work so hard to protect music; however, Sony took things too far.
On Oct. 31, blogger Mark Russinovich discovered a hidden program installed on his PC by a Sony music disk. When the CDs are put into the computer, they automatically install a program that restricts how many times the discs’ tracks can be copied, which is inconvenient when it comes to using portable music players. The alarming part about this program is that it is designed to bury itself deep within the Windows operating system. Manual attempts to remove the software can disable the PC’s CD drive. Even worse, the program has given virus writers an easy tool for hiding their “malicious software.” Yep, Sony has made it easier for virus writers to steal personal information, launch attacks on other computers, and send spam.
When people purchase CDs, they shouldn’t have to worry that the company that made it will mess up their computers. Sony is working to prevent piracy, yet all it is doing is punishing people who purchase its CDs. Besides overreaching, Sony’s action may be violating state and federal spyware laws (class actions have been filed).
When Sony realized the huge mistake it had made, it started trying to fix the mess from the 4.7 million shipped CDs that had the program and the 2.1 million sold. To help those that had the program installed on their computers, Sony developed an uninstaller that has created more problems. According to The Associated Press, “To get the uninstall program, users were asked to request it by filling out online forms. Once submitted, the forms themselves download and install a program designed to ready the PC for the fix. Essentially, it makes the PC open to downloading and installing code from the Internet.”
It is important to protect intellectual property, but companies cannot put their consumers’ property at risk. It is not OK for Sony to jeopardize the computers of their consumers. If there is any hope to end piracy, people need to stop stealing music and the industry needs to stick to responsible, safe methods for protecting their products.

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