Un-Merry Christmas, Sony.
I don't like to be bullied and I really don't like to be called a cheat or a liar. This year, Sony has deduced that everyone who buys a CD from their catalog is planning to rip it to their computer and put it on some network for everyone to share. To save the company from iminent ruin (at the hands of their paying customers), they've included a piece of software that prevents illegal (any) copying -- without asking permission to load it onto your computer first!! Holy crap!!
There have been boycotts from stores that sell Sony music, boycotts from Sony artists (also affected by this "Digital Rights Management" or DRM software), and even a warning from the Department of Homeland Security. I'm not kidding! They say that you should never allow anything to load on your computer that you weren't expecting (i.e. a security program on an audio CD). Here's a link to more links on the subject, including a list of affected CDs: http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/30/no_xmas_for_sony_pro.html
So, even though I have a Sony digital camera, a Playstation and a Clie (palm pilot), I'm now going to avoid them. In the immortal words of my one-time best friend, "...that's another person who can f*** right off."
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4 comments:
Thank you, ChrisB, for this post. Belive it or not, I was looking for a in a nutshell explaination of What This Sony Business Was About. I've found it.
Fortunately, until we get a new comp, I don't have to worry about it as my current CD-ROM drive is busted.
UNfortunately, it's going to be tough to boycott them completely, due to new PlayStation--which I am in love with.
For the record, my general dislike of Sony/Columbia goes back a long way. Back when cassettes still sold, and during my 10 year or stint of Record Store Clerk employment, those damn Columbia/CBS cassette spines irriated me.
White background, red letters, all same font.
The "formula" just screamed mere "PRODUCT."
Have you heard about how Sony is paying graffiti artists to spraypaint images of kids playing PSPs?
Grrrr.
I've been a loyal Playstation and PS2 fan since both were released. I love the games and Sony got it right both times. The PS3 is supposed to be the shit, but they're (again) fighting the rest of the world on the format for the DVD drive they'll install. They want one proposed format (HD-DVD) and everyone else wants "Blu-Ray" DVDs. (or maybe I have that backwards.) Either way, it seems like they're constantly forcing their customers to go 100% with them or not at all and I don't like to be bullied. Perhaps it's time to look at alternatives.
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