SunnComm

Sony BMG Sues Maker of Faulty CD Copy-Protection Software

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 12, 2007 - 1:50pm.

New York - Sony BMG has filed suit against a maker of CD anti-piracy technology the major record label said cost it millions of dollars, after the software was found to potentially open computers to hackers, leading to a recall and government investigations, the Associated Press reported.

SunnComm to Submit CD Copy-Protection Software for Security Testing

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 3, 2006 - 6:52am.

San Francisco - SunnComm Technologies, a developer of CD copy-protection software that was found to open computers to security risks, has agreed to address problems with the software and comply with requests for independent security reviews from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital civil liberties group. SunnComm said that future versions of its MediaMax software will not install when a user declines the license agreement that appears when a CD is first inserted into a computer, and also provide uninstallers in all versions of MediaMax. The company will also submit all future versions of its copy-protection software to an independent security-testing firm, and make the results public; it has also promised not to prosecute legitimate security researchers for violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. "While we continue to disagree with SunnComm on the wisdom of CD copy protection in general, we are pleased that it has taken important steps to notify consumers of the security vulnerability and help resolve the security and privacy issues raised by the MediaMax software," said EFF staff attorney Kurt Opsahl.

CD Copy-Protection Firm SunnComm Says Won't Sue Researcher

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 10, 2003 - 4:41am.

Phoenix, Ariz. -- Less than twenty-four hours after announcing its intention to sue a Princeton grad student who published a report showing that its CD copy-protection technology could be defeated by depressing a PC's "Shift" key, SunnComm Technologies said Friday that it no longer intends to sue Alex Halderman. In a statement, the company now says that, "legal action would not repair the damage done and could potentially cause a 'chilling effect' on the type of research that faculty, staff, and students of institutions of higher learning elect to pursue in the future." Last Friday, Halderman published a report revealing that SunnComm's MediaMax CD3 technology, which was recently used to protect a mass market consumer album release from major label BMG, could be defeated by either depressing the "Shift" key or altering existing Windows files. Yesterday, SunnComm announced it would sue Halderman for damaging the company's reputation, and would turn over evidence to authorities for a possible criminal case against Halderman under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. "Had Mr. Halderman evaluated the product as a copy management solution that was purposely designed to deliver a licensed and legal structure for limited copying and sharing, he would have most likely yielded a different result," said SunnComm president Bill Whitmore. "Instead of being rated as 'flawed' his final conclusion may have found that it performed as it was intended to perform."

tags: CD | Copy-Protection | SunnComm | Researcher |

SunnComm to Sue Princeton Student Over CD Copy-Protection Report

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 9, 2003 - 4:49am.

Phoenix, Ariz. -- SunnComm, a developer of CD copy-protection technology recently used by major label BMG on a commercial CD release in the U.S., announced on Thursday that it intends to sue a Princeton grad student who published a report revealing the technology could be defeated simply be depressing the "Shift" key on a PC. "The conclusions contained in the Princeton University grad student's report issued last Monday were derived from incorrect assumptions by its author… [and have] caused the market value of SunnComm to drop by more than $10 million." Arizona-based SunnComm believes that Princeton grad student Alex Halderman violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in his report by disclosing unpublished MediaMax management files, and admitting that he disabled the technology in order to make an unprotected copy of the disc's contents. The DMCA makes it a felony to circumvent the copyright protections on a digital device. "This cat-and-mouse game that hackers and others like to play with owners of digital property is over," said SunnComm CEO Peter Jacobs. "No matter what their credentials or rationale, it is wrong to use one's knowledge and the cover of academia to facilitate piracy and theft of digital property."

Arista Records to Release SunnComm Copy-Protected CDs in U.S. Market

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 28, 2003 - 3:53am.

San Francisco -- A number of outlets reported on Friday that, according to a research note published by a J.P. Morgan analyst, major label BMG's Arista Records label plans to release copy-protected CDs into the consumer market as early as May. According to the note, Arista will use Phoenix-based SunnComm's CD copy-protection technology. "We expect volume shipments of protected CDs to ship commercially in the U.S. as early as the May-June time frame using the SunnComm solution," wrote J.P. Morgan analyst Sterling Auty, in the note. "This will be the first major step in the growth of the CD audio protection market." SunnComm currently provides copy-protection on Arista's promotional and other CDs released in advance of an album's street date.

tags: U.S | CDs | SunnComm | Arista |