Digital Rights Management
- DRM attempts to "protect" intellectual property
- Technologies to restrict purchaser's use of product
- Recent Example: Sony BMG in 2005
- Sony BMG added copy-protection to music CDs
- It installed a rootkit on computer
- Prevented copying tracks to iPods, etc.
- Rootkit opened a major security hole
- When discovered, was published on internet
- Situation exploded
- Sony BMG was sued by several state AGs
- Microsoft classifed the rootkit as spyware
- Management clueless about the problem
- Sony BMG forced to recall the CDs and replace them
- Sony BMG required to pay users $150 for rootkit removal costs
- PR disaster for Sony BMG
- Unintended Consequence: Music lovers have more incentive to avoid DRM
- xkcd - A Webcomic - Steal This Comic
