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Sony BMG Sued Due To Copy Protection

The copy protection software was branded as spyware by Kaspersky

Sony BMG faces three lawsuits due to its anti-piracy software. Windows expert Mark Russinovich declared in late October that the software Sony created hides itself using similar techniques as viruses.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is gathering information from users in order to build up a case.

Mark Russinovich discovered that Sony was using a "root kit" to hide the program that denied users to copy certain CDs.

A root kit is a program that is used to hide certain programs or viruses from the user in places he or she can't find.

One of the lawsuits was filed in Los Angeles by attorney Alan Himmelfarb and is intended to stop Sony from further selling protected CDs and pay damage for California residents that bought protected albums.

Until now Sony BMG did not release a list of protected CDs. They only said that "about 20" albums are protected.

The Russian Kaspersky anti-virus company branded the Sony software as "spyware".

Other anti-virus companies released or are about to release tools to locate the hidden program.