Sony settles 'rootkit' class action suit....

[mkrishnan]

Link to C|Net Story

In the settlement filing, Sony states that it will immediately recall all XCP CDs and replace them with non-content-protected CDs. It has also agreed to offer incentives to U.S. customers to "ensure that XCP CDs are promptly removed from the market." Sony first released details about its CD recall scheme in late November.

Customers who exchange their XCP CD can either download three albums from a list of over 200 titles, or claim a cash payment of $7.50 and a free download of one album. To claim this compensation, customers must return their XCP CDs to Sony or provide the company with a receipt showing they returned or exchanged the CD at a retailer after Nov. 14.

Sony is not recalling MediaMax CDs, but has agreed to compensate buyers of these albums by allowing them to download one free album, as well as offering them MP3 versions of the music on the MediaMax album.

The settlement filing is awaiting approval by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Thoughts? I feel that they got off waaaaay too easily. They should have been treated criminally and civilly just like any hacker that released malicious code into the wild.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Lone, malicious hackers don't have Sony's budget or crack legal team.

Good lawyers allow you to get away with murder. Literally.

I didn't see enough bad publicity about this - your average joe hasn't heard enough about the rootkit thing and doesn't care. Sony wins.

 

[mkrishnan]

I didn't see enough bad publicity about this - your avarage joe hasn't heard about the rootkit thing and doesn't care. Sony wins.

Yeah...I wonder how much liability they got out of with this.... I would have liked to see a much stronger anti-malware message than this. Then again, pooh on whoever is litigating that class-action lawsuit...they're sellouts if they signed off on this.