SonyBMG Anti-Piracy Software May Infringe Open-Source Copyright

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 18, 2005 - 3:32am.

Los Angeles - The controversial CD copy-protection software that this week prompted SonyBMG to recall millions of CDs also appears to have lifted elements from open-source software, which could constitute copyright infringement, Reuters reported on Friday. Developed by U.K.-based First 4 Internet, the anti-piracy software included a "rootkit" designed to hide it deep within a computer's operating system; this tool can also be used independently by virus writers to attack PCs, and Microsoft and anti-virus firms are now actively working to remove it from PCs worldwide. The CD copy-protection software also includes a media player, which developers said makes unauthorized use of LAME, an open-source MP3 player application. One principle of free-to-use open-source software is that it if it is utilized for other applications, the derivatives must also be open-source. Failure to heed the rules of open-source software can trigger copyright infringement claims. "That's the flipside of open source: If you don't respect the open-source rules, the old regime of copy protection comes back in full force," Internet law expert Christiaan Alberdingk Thijm told Reuters.
http://tinyurl.com/8ecnw
http://tinyurl.com/7lsu3 (Reuters)
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/info-tech/dn8346.html
http://www.first4internet.co.uk