Sony breached Lesser Gnu Public License with their DRM software

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous Bob
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A

Anonymous Bob

It turns out that the rootkit contains pieces of code that are identical to
LAME, an open source mp3-encoder, and thereby breach the license.

This software is licensed under the so called Lesser Gnu Public License
(LGPL). According to this license Sony must comply with a couple of demands.
Amongst others, they have to indicate in a copyright notice that they make
use of the software. The company must also deliver the source code to the
open-source libraries or otherwise make these available. And finally, they
must deliver or otherwise make available the in between form between source
code and executable code, the so called objectfiles, with which others can
make comparable software.

Sony complied with non of these demands, but delivered just an executable
program. A computerexpert, whose name is known by the redaction, discovered
that the cd "Get Right With The Man" by "Van Zant" contains strings from the
library version.c of Lame. This can be conluded from the string:
"http://www.mp3dev.org/", "0.90", "LAME3.95", "3.95", "3.95 ".

But the expert has more proof. For example, the executable program go.exe
contains a so called array largetbl. This is a part used in the module
tables.c of libmp3lame.

Read the full article here:

http://dewinter.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=215



Bob Vanderveen
 
This story just gets stranger every day. Here we have an attempt at ©
protection, being enforced by © infringement. What's that supposed to convey to
the kids trying to pirate these albums? I know.. do what I say, not what I do.
In kid-speak, that's LAME alright. I wonder what spin they're going to put on
this story... frankly, I've had enough already. SonyBMG is totally sick.
 
Seeing as how he is heading up a Japanese company, maybe CEO Mr. Howard
Stringer (British) should do what an honorable Japanese man is supposed to
do when he has lost face.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
Bill Sanderson said:
I'll go read it--but is there really some mechanism likely to actually
attempt to enforce that license? http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl-violation.html

If we all say "Shame on you, Sony" in
unison at 12:01 PM tomorrow, that'll be satisfying, but I'm not sure they'll
notice it.
Click to expand...

Most RIAA related companies, I think, don't know what copyright violation
means, so why should they care?

Bob Vanderveen
 
Anonymous Bob said:
Most RIAA related companies, I think, don't know what copyright violation
means, so why should they care?
Click to expand...


<G>

Well--it's different, when the content is created by Artists and owned by a
Corporation, isn't it?
 
Bill Sanderson said:
Well--it's different, when the content is created by Artists and owned by a
Corporation, isn't it?
Click to expand...

Well, that seems to be true, but Richard Stallman may not agree.<g>

Bob Vanderveen
 
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