Security experts said the MediaMax software created a directory on computers which could allow hackers to hijack a computer.

I'm sueing Microsoft for the same problems.

"Sony BMG now says the Amergence Group violated its deal with Sony because its software did not perform as it was meant to."

I wonder if they read the license agreement lol

I doubt that Sony gave a flying fart about what would happen to peoples computers:

"So, this software we are offering you will stop people copying your CD's by embedding itself into the operating system, intercepting all CD commands, and performing various scanning and OS checks."

"All i heard there was "it'll stop copying", we'll take it!"

Alas , nice window dressing but history tells us an English Company "First 4 Internet" or "Fortium Technologies Ltd"(an evil sense of humour at work here) , were the wankers responsible for the "XCP(extended Copy Protrection)" debacle of '06 ! not Media Max!

Me thinks this a bad case of SONY smoke and mirrors , given the financial reports from SunnComm are not all that rosy!

Quote "I keep six honest serving men They taught me all I knew: Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who Rudyard Kipling ..."

Oh well back to the drawing board!

For goodness sake it was Sony who decided to flog discs that resembled a CD but weren't. Sony couldn't give a toss about the customers who couldn't play the damn discs -- or rip them for personal use.

If the software had worked correctly Sony would still have taken a pounding from the bad PR. And quite rightly so.

It's like someone busted for drugs/whatever suing their dealer for being caught.

Do the world a favour Sony; shut the feck up and stop reminding everyone why we shouldn't buy anything with the Sony/BMG name on it.

I been boycotting Sony since they destroyed Lik-sang.... even though their European office had loads of top exec's buying pre-Euro-release PSP's.

I wouldn't touch Sony with a barge pole... they may not feel the loss of my purchases, but I also vow to turn every Sony fanboy I meet into boycotters too until they realise what they release should benefit their customers as well as their profits... not just their profits!

Oh... and who wrote the software for their NetMD's that they forced you to install to use the things, you know the one... the one that converted your entire clean MP3 collection to their format, then refused to let you play a file on the PC if you had "checked out" a song onto any minidisk device without checking it back in!!

Disgusting company, shame too since I used to like them many moons ago!

..they should sue themselves for being stupid enough to buy into the DRM fantasy in the first place. Or do they (and the RIAA) still think that alienating their customers is a good business model?

Akio Morita must be spinning in his grave...

Sony will make it such that developing 'DRM' software will be unprofitable - or at least, no company in their right mind would be willing to license to Sony or to any other litigious RIAA cardholding member.

Sony would be forced to develop something in-house or have to work with operating system vendors, such as Microsoft, to develop a next-version OS which no one will want because of it's in-built cripple-ware.

With luck, everyone will abandon the whole sorry mess and everything would revert to the "Innocent until proven guilty" honor system. Like as like not, people who intend to pirate music would do so regardless of any technical limitation imposed upon them as they will find a workaround. The rest of us, the majority of people, don't pirate music and don't appreciate being treated as if we were already assumed to be criminals.

Sony would be forced to develop something in-house or have to work with operating system vendors, such as Microsoft, to develop a next-version OS which no one will want because of it's in-built cripple-ware.

Antony, did you mean Vista, which is not flying off the shelves like M$ predicted? :)

Instead of burying it, let's keep this debacle in the headlines as long as possible.

No publicity is bad publicity, as they say!

I've boycotted Sony since Lik-Sang too, and exploding batteries and rootkits and ps3's and the fact that Samsung make products every bit as good as Sony for a much better price!

"Sony BMG now says the Amergence Group violated its deal with Sony because its software did not perform as it was meant to. The lawsuit accuses it of negligence and unfair business practices."

I, for one, am looking forward to see how Sony fares against the typical Software "End-Usar Agreement" where basically every software company declares that this software is not "fit for purpose" and if it crashes it's your fault for buying it, nyah nyah nyah.... (sorry, that sentence got away from me)

If Sony manages to win the lawsuit, this would make comanies like MS open to a WHOLE lot of litigation from people who are sick and tired of the constant PATCHING of an OPERATING SYSTEM. Might even get MS to finally split the OS from the UI.

ROFL

"I've boycotted Sony since Lik-Sang too"

One of the main reasons I stopped wanting a PS3 is because of this whole Lik-Sang fiasco. Now, if HTC would put out a faster TyTN so that the only PSOne emulator in the world would run perfectly on it. I don't really want a PSP but will be going overseas for a few months with nothing but my TyTN, Nintendo DS and my MP3 player and I would really like to complete that game of Final Fantasy VIII I have on my emulated PSOne on my PC (which, unless I go on a marathon and skip a few weeks of work, I probably won't get to finish until I come back).

I've avoided Sony since about 2000...

Too many failed devices for my liking... And it's a lucky dip as to whether a given product line is good or bad (price means nothing).

Sad, because one of the parties is going to win. Wouldn't it be nice if both could lose?