News Sony malware: the legal perspective

Actually, there is a very small note on the back of the box. Or at least on Q4. However FEAR does give an address where you can return it for a refund if you can't run it. Windows, not so much, but that's a different story.

 

Why should I then have to spend even more money to ship the game off? I could seriously use the $10-15 that shipping would cost. And even then, how long would it take to get back to me? 3 or so months?

Seems to me it all just a bit silly.

 

Under the picture "It may be agains the law . . ."
Should that be against.

 

AFAIK, here in the USA, it is legal to shoot, mame, burn, etc...a burglar or asailant as long as he is directly threatening you or your family. If he punches your three year old in the face, steals your wallet, turns around to leave, and you shoot him in the back, that constitutes as murder. If he has a knife to your wife's neck and you blow his head off with a shotgun, that's not murder, and perfectly legal. I don't remember what this law is called, but I was just talking about it with a co-worker the other day who seemed to know a lot about it.

Unfortunately there are cases where low lifes have sued homeowners for injuries obtained during burglary, and won. Such as the burglar who fell on a knife that was left out on a kitchen counter, and sued for injuries. He went to jail, but still won the lawsuit

But that is the way of things here in the US unfortunately. That is why every single product in the country has a stupid warning label on it, like a cup of coffee from Dunkin' Donuts: "Warning: Contents May Be Hot!" < NO S***!

There should be a law preventing frivolous lawsuits, but that will never happen.

Sorry, way off topic.

Summary: RIAA/MPAA=bad.

 

what i find interesting about that sony "copy protection" is this:
(found here: http://cp.sonybmg.com/xcp/english/faq.html)

so does that mean a mac user (and i asume everey other *nix) acts illegally when playing that cd in his comp or what?
for me that does mean that the "copy protection" isn't effective. here in germany the copyright law says that it is illegal to circumvent a technically effective copy-protection. is switching your OS circumventing a copy-protection? i guess not as it's not forbidden to _not_ use windows.

bah, that's just sick. and all because these damn companies can't get enough.
just had to let it out.

 

I never bought a game, music or dvd anymore since all the copyprotection-a-holic company's introduced this. First i could not play a damn cd in my car, then i could not play a region1 dvd in my dvd player, then i could not play games anymore because i had a dvd-burner or burning software installed.

Now i only download all stuff and never looked back, plays on anything anywhere anyplace. And the good part is, it is totaly legal and payed by me as taxes on dvd's and cd's allready.

The only thing i have bought is Steam because i want to support a good working product anyway i can.

 

Well, we can't condone blatant piracy Obiwan - that's still illegal, and I don't think a few euro cents per CD-R really covers the loss.

But interesting to learn that you are SO inconvenienced by these counter measures that they essentially drove you to piracy. If the retail products had worked the first time, maybe you would have continued to buy retail stuff...

 

HAH! Sony is hoisted by their own pitard so to speak http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/34

You can use the sony copy protection to mask your cheat programs in WOW!

 

Maybe i should not have said "all" but to explain my short reply:

actualy It is about 35 eurocent per dvd/cd and soon also memory cards/mp3 players/ hd's and such. Even if i only use the dvd/cd-r's for making backups of my system or for my own home movie recordings. I still pay copyright for every movie and music that is created and released in my country.

It is legal in my country to download movies and music, Only software is protected by law and you may not sell downloaded movies or music or upload (share) movies and music.

I do not buy games because i do not play a lot of games (no time anymore) but i have a big collection of games i have bought over the years, and those are the games i liked and i am willing to support the programmers by paying for their creations. I am not commiting any crime in my country, neither i am a pirate or adore piracy.

I have the same "support" rule for movies. I have a very large collection dvd's (about 200) that i have payed for. Most of them imported from other countries because they where released sooner or available. Almost all of the movies are SF related. But i do not need to buy them because it is legal to download movies over here. However i download sf series and some dvd releases because they are not available over here.

I do not buy music cd's because i do not like any of the music i hear. Some songs are good but i do not buy a whole cd for a song that i listen to for 2 weeks at most. So i download them. And after some time they end into my trashcan. or on a cd with other tracks for in my listening in my car. And this is all legal in my country. Just like softdrugs that is also legal here... (Sorry my mistake "allowed")

 

It's more of a generally legality thing. As a member of the Bit forums, I don't condone piracy. As some guy you meet on the street, I'll ask you what you want and whether you provide your own media.

 

<dutch>
Je zou beter moeten weten. Softdrugs zijn niet legaal, maar worden gedoogd. Mensen zoals jij zorgen ervoor dat op internationale forums als dit nederlanders een slechte naam krijgen.
</dutch>

 

Isn't Sony's DRM more like virus and and isn't it against the competion rules in Europe and US to make customers use only "your" player.

I don't buy music anymore, last time i did so was back in '95 before this anti-piracy "panic" started and made me, the customer, a thief even if I didn't do anything. On any other business they would be out of business by now.

All the music I need I get from internet radio stations. I don't download and if some company get me in court for recording those songs in to cd's, I sue them and want them to give back all the levy's I ever payd from every blank media I have.

 

This is by far the most stupid thing ever.. Illegal for them to install, But also illegal for you to remove it.. Well correct me if im wrong, but thats like saying "Its illegal to steal that car, but its also illegal for you not to"... wtf?