[IP] Copy protection infringing copyright?
Begin forwarded message:
From: Joseph Lorenzo Hall <joehall@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: November 13, 2005 2:59:15 PM EST
To: Dave Farber <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Copy protection infringing copyright?
Reply-To: joehall@xxxxxxxxx
<http://groups.sims.berkeley.edu/osdddi/?p=57>
# [Copy protection infringing copyright?][1]
To protect its own intellectual property, Sony BMG appears to be
blatantly infringing the copyright of others.
Undoubtedly, many of you have heard about the _[rootkit][2]_ that is
[installed on Windows PCs][3] upon inserting [recent CDs][4] from Sony
BMG Entertainment record labels. This has become a veritable fiasco as
this piece of spyware can be used to cloak all manner of things from
[viruses][5] to [cheating software][6]. However, it now appears that
the code written by the company that Sony BMG hired, First4 Internet,
may actually infringe the LGPL by using code from the [LAME][7] mp3
encoding library (from _["Spyware Sony seems to breach
copyright"][8]_):
This software is licensed under the so called Lesser Gnu Public
License (LGPL). According to this license Sony must comply with a
couple of demands. Amongst others, they have to indicate in a
copyright notice that they make use of the software. The company
must also deliver the source code to the open-source libraries or
otherwise make these available. And finally, they must deliver or
otherwise make available the in between form between source code and
executable code, the so called objectfiles, with which others can
make comparable software.
Sony complied with non of these demands, but delivered just an
executable program. A computerexpert, whose name is known by the
redaction, discovered that the cd "Get Right With The Man" by "Van
Zant" contains strings from the library version.c of Lame. This can
be conluded from the string: "http://www.mp3dev.org/";, "0.90",
"LAME3.95", "3.95", "3.95".
But the expert has more proof. For example, the executable program
go.exe contains a so called array largetbl. This is a part used in
the module tables.c of libmp3lame.
[1]: http://groups.sims.berkeley.edu/osdddi/?p=57
[2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rootkit
[3]: http://www.cnet.com/4520-6033_1-6376177.html?
part=rss&subj=edfeat&tag=DRM+this%2C+Sony%21
[4]: http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004144.php
[5]: http://news.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=/
5-0&fp=437795daf1dddc4f&ei=Hph3Q_jsMs7wFJ2WiEM&url=http%3A//
www.itweek.co.uk/vnunet/news/2145874/virus-writers-exploit-sony-
drm&cid=0
[6]: http://news.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=/
2-0&fp=4377899f9163d8b8&ei=QJh3Q6aTMqaWFpexzEQ&url=http%3A//
www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/04/secfocus_wow_bot/&cid=0
[7]: http://www.mp3dev.org/
[8]: http://dewinter.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=215
--
Joseph Lorenzo Hall
PhD Student
UC Berkeley, School of Information (SIMS)
<http://josephhall.org/>
blog: <http://josephhall.org/nqb2/>
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