My first letter of outrage to Sony:
September 22, 2005
Sony Corporation of America
Rolf Schmidt-Holtz
Chairman Of The Board Of Directors
550 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Sony Corporation
Howard Stringer
Chairman and CEO
6-7-35 Kitashinagawa
Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo 141-0001
Japan
Gentlemen;
I am disgusted.
My 12 year old daughter bought a CD that she saved her money to purchase. The CD was “Natasha Bedingfield, Unwritten”. It is a Sony/BMG label. We took it home and it will not play on our equipment. I had to investigate for her.
What I found was that there has been implemented some sort of an “Anti-Piracy” measure. The result of which is that this CD/music cannot be played on any of our music players! This apparently is an misguided effort to protect your profits. What has happened though, is that you have taken my daughter’s money and delivered a disc that she cannot use. WalMart refused to give her a refund, even though she cannot play the songs. This is wrong, and you have essentially stolen from her.
How stupid is this?? My daughter BOUGHT the CD to use it to play on her iPod, her only music playing equipment. You have instituted something which has basically made all of your recordings unavailable to her in the misguided attempt to ensure that your music catalogue extracts money from everyone who listens to it. I’m sorry, but she has the right to listen to it. In fact, this entire family uses iPods to play all of our music! Any music I would purchase for my use from Sony in the future would likely contain these same measures. Where does this leave me?
I have an extensive catalog of music that I have collected over the years starting in 1978. I have purchased thousands of LP vinyl and I have hundreds of CDs that I listen to virtually every day through my iPod. Never have I run across something like this! NEVER! It is absolutely amazing to me that you have prevented me and my family from listening to any music we would purchase from your various record labels.
Furthermore, in the ensuing days since this CD was placed onto my computer to, I am now getting a “blue screen” fault which has stopped operations of my computer I use in my engineering business. Microsoft has identified this problem as originating from the software that was added during my attempts to play it for my daughter. YOUR SOFTWARE HAS DISRUPTED THE OPERATION OF MY BUSINESS. There are no instructions as to how to remove this software and anything else you added from my computer to restore its operability. I now have an unstable computer that is affecting my business. You sorry jerks, how DARE you screw this up! Then, I am encouraged to further ‘update’ my computer with MORE of the faulty software? NEVER! I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER SONY-BMI CD EVER AGAIN. I DEMAND TO KNOW HOW TO REMOVE THIS TROJAN HORSE PROGRAM FROM MY COMPUTER AND RESTORE FULL FUNCTIONALITY.
In fact, this gives serious pause to me thinking that I should continue to purchase and use any of Sony’s equipment. Until this point, I only use my Sony Cybershot Camera, and memory, my Sony audio and television equipment, and video camera. I was considering purchase of a new camera because the Sony quality is so good. No more. This is a serious breach of my trust in Sony and their products. AND IT IS STUPID.
The result is that we will no longer purchase ANY of Sony’s music on any of their labels. Nor will I purchase any company’s copy protected discs. It does me no good and the music cannot be played. We will do without. You, and your stockholders no doubt, worry that you have seen a drop in the sales of CDs recently. I submit that harebrained schemes such as this do nothing to improve or encourage me to purchase any music and add to my library. It is NOT because my family is stealing your music. You have completely alienated this loyal customer.
As a matter of fact, my daughter says of you when she discovered she would not be able to use the CD, or get a refund, “They are evil!” Although perhaps a bit extreme… I tend to agree.
Sincerely,
Mark Curtis
Sony's Reply:
My second letter of outrage to Sony:
October 1, 2005
Sony Corporation of America
Rolf Schmidt-Holtz
Chairman Of The Board Of Directors
550 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Sony Corporation
Howard Stringer
Chairman and CEO
6-7-35 Kitashinagawa
Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo 141-0001
Japan
Gentlemen;
I have received the unsigned letter (copy enclosed) today, and I take issue with the conclusions of SONY/BMG.
I, in no way, approve, understand or care that you feel justified in passing off my complaint regarding the serious nature of this breach of confidence as anything deserving a form letter that is unsigned. I wrote to YOU. Nor do I approve, understand or care how you justify the use of this anti-piracy measure on a purchased CD disc.
First, this CD did not play in any of our equipment, including our automobiles, home stereo, and computers.
It was not evident from the packaging that this was anything but a normal CD, notwithstanding your fine print. IT WAS NOT A COMPLIANT CD. It was software.
My daughter could not listen to the music it contained. It did not play. Nor should we have to pull wild contortions and search the internet for any solution to a purchased disc in an attempt to defeat the stupid anti-piracy scheme you placed onto the disc. Music should play. You still owe her money back.
The software that that was installed to my computer corrupted my Windows installation such that I suffered at least five blue screen fault/crashes daily for the seven days it was on my computer. You caused a week’s worth of productivity lost in my business. It took untold hours of investigating and attempts to fix something you caused, and about which you are unrepentant. I had to search for a solution, with Microsoft cluing me into the reason, which should have been placed onto the very disc that the installation from which the installation commenced. HOW ABOUT AN UNINSTALL ON THE DARN DISC? Shame. That I had to repeatedly contact customer service and be “approved” to download something that NEVER should have been done to my computer in the first place! Insulting and abusive.
My daughter actually bought this music. Think of that when you complain of lagging CD/Music sales. She bought it, and had this experience.
PAY ATTENTION…. You have caused a serious breach of trust with me and my family regarding the nature of SONY products. We will not ever buy another SONY/BMG CD music disc that has any type of features on it for anti-piracy. Think of two teenage daughters, and what that means to music sales. NEVER. We will never purchase any SONY equipment, cameras, memory, videos, DVDs, Stereo equipment, MPG players, etc either, from Sony, as a result of this breach of trust. We have shifted our future habits as a consumer to other brands. Congratulations.
Sincerely,
Mark Curtis
Sony's Reply:
My third letter of outrage to Sony:
November 3, 2005
Sony Corporation of America
Rolf Schmidt-Holtz
Chairman Of The Board Of Directors
550 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Sony Corporation
Howard Stringer
Chairman and CEO
6-7-35 Kitashinagawa
Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo 141-0001
Japan
Gentlemen;
I have received another unsigned letter (copy enclosed) today, and I continue to take issue with the conclusions of SONY/BMG. The replacement disc is the same as the original disc, and I am returning it to you forthwith. (To the New York address) As a matter of fact, I believe that the unsigned letters I am receiving indicate that the letters I am sending are actually being shunted out of the mail before it arrives at the intended addressees indicated on the address? Are you hiding this from the officers of Sony? Do they not know how you are hurting Sony’s business and driving customers away? Do they have any idea that the purchaser of music CDs are going to not continue to do so? Shame on you again, Sony.
I now have a further understanding of what the issues are I am having with Sony/BMG CD music discs. I am not pleased. The nature of the software on this disc makes it a most dangerous item to have anywhere around, and it is not wanted. I am actually returning the disc you sent to me, and I am asking you to refund my daughter’s money. We will NOT have in our home a disc that exhibits the foul intentions of your corporation and the dangerous software included. That is only the first issue.
What you have done is sold my daughter a CD MUSIC disc that is most certainly NOT CD compliant. If it were, we would not be talking right now. You can “Philadelphia lawyer” all you wish, but the fact of the matter is your music CD does NOT act like every other music CD disc of the thousands I have purchased. (Whoever has heard of a EULA to listen to music they have purchased?) Simply put, this CD is not playable on our equipment, and furthermore, actually damaged our equipment to the point where we lost income in our business for one week because of this egregious lack of respect for your customer. This is indisputable.
I now realize that Sony/BMG music installed SPY/MALware on my computer which it did not provide an uninstall on the disc. This is a serious breach of computer agreements of software vendors. All Windows compliant software has to have such, and yours did not. You installed a ROOTKIT on my computer which spied on my computer use, slowed my computer by around 4%, caused blue-screen-o-death crashes, and hid files and processes from me. In NO way did I agree to this in any EULA. If every CD from every manufacturer has a rootkit installed just to listen to music, or Sony decides to use dozens of rootkits over the next several years, this cumulative effect will be disastrous for all computer users. It is unforgivable.
You, as the chief officers for Sony, have to know that this type of ROOTKIT is used by malicious writers of software in an attempt to deceive computer users and to hide virus and Trojan software from view; masking its presence so that it can steal and corrupt and do general mayhem and propagation infecting others’ computers. You have opened all your customers to exploitation by other software virus, worm, and Trojan writers by making an exploit available for use in other scams. I’m sure as I write this letter, there are a host of virus writers around the world examining your installed rootkit and designing sinister ways of exploiting this rootkit for nefarious and malicious intent.
Sony did it on purpose too. You are open now to all manner of lawsuits because of this. Furthermore, you refuse to allow the average user to remove this Sony software, which has already found to be flawed, from your customer’s machines. It does the purchaser of your product no good, and indeed harms every one of them. The removal of this software without the guidance of those who wrote it damages every machine as a “punishment” for that removal. This again is most egregious.
You should know that my family has a long and happy relationship with Sony products: Cameras, memory, computers, media, VCRs, Stereo equipment, DVD players. Audio Equipment….. This abuse of the customer by Sony, has led me to reconsider this. Just yesterday, my father bought a new computer. He bought a Toshiba Satellite at Office Depot in Salem, Oregon, as I decided to persuade him to NOT consider the Sony VIAO. My family will no longer consider the purchase of any Sony product until you reassure me that you will not continue to allow this disregard of the customer to infect the entire Sony corporate product line. We certainly will not ever trust the purchase of a Sony/BMG CD music disc ever again.
It amazes me that you go to these lengths to penalize and harm your paying customers; Those who willingly buy your products. “Fair Use.” You should read up on the concept!
Sincerely,
Mark Curtis
My fourth letter of outrage to Sony:
November 23, 2005
Sony Corporation of America
Rolf Schmidt-Holtz
Chairman Of The Board Of Directors
550 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Sony Corporation
Howard Stringer
Chairman and CEO
6-7-35 Kitashinagawa
Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo 141-0001
Japan
Gentlemen;
This is a follow up to the three letters I have written to you since September 17, 2005. I am shocked and disgusted at Sony’s actions. Indeed, I now doubt you, as the addressees of these letters have even read or know about the problems I suffered, as I think you have not received them. (I can provide copies of the letters should they not be available to you. Last one included here.) I believe they have been shunted out of your mail and answered by others who will not sign their names to the responses I get.
My 12 year old daughter bought a CD that she saved her money to purchase. The CD was “Natasha Bedingfield, Unwritten”. It is a Sony/BMG label. We took it home and it would not play on our equipment. I discovered that it contained a “First 4 Internet DRM” software package. After installation. I suffered a multitude of fundamental Windows faults I call a “blue-screen-o-death” system crash caused by a file running called ARIES.SYS After several days, Microsoft identified this software and I started to find a way to fix my computer. Further I discovered Sony had installed a rootkit on my computer.
On September 23, I downloaded and used the Active X uninstaller that Sony provided. (Reference the copy of my email provided attached) I was told that my system had been restored, and the rootkit was removed by the software.
Just now, I was in the middle of a scan and I discovered that the software had NOT actually been removed as I was told by Sony's uninstaller. It was discovered to still be active in some form and a "backdoor trojan" known as "Ryknos" was installed and active. (Reference Norton Anti-Virus screenshot print.)
I am appalled that Sony had NOT ACTUALLY REMOVED this software as they had told me and led me to believe, but kept the spyware active with the associated backdoor trojan on my computer. If there ever was doubt about Sony's good intentions, let them be confirmed now. I am shocked and very angry that not only was this DRM scheme was used by Sony in the first place to damage and spy on their PAYING customers. However, I am even more angry that I was given a “fix” for the computer, only to find out that fix I thought would remove the problem did not do so.
Please advise as to how Sony Corporation is going to address this situation and redress the wrong that was committed to a loyal paying customer!
Sincerely,
Mark Curtis
My Fifth letter of outrage to Sony:
November 29, 2005
Sony Corporation of America
Rolf Schmidt-Holtz
Chairman Of The Board Of Directors
550 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Sony Corporation
Howard Stringer
Chairman and CEO
6-7-35 Kitashinagawa
Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo 141-0001
Japan
Gentlemen;
I was looking to add a new Christmas CD to my music collection and was looking for something I would like. I like Harry Connick and thought His Christmas CD, “Harry For The Holidays, Harry Connick Jr.” might be something to buy.
Then I found out not only is it a Sony BMG label, but that it is “enhanced” with the same type of DRM I have been complaining about to you.
I did not purchase Christmas music this year as a result. In fact, my children are not getting a CD for Christmas either, as Mr and Mrs Claus usually gave each one in the past. We’ll find something else to load on the iPods this year.
Thanks anyway…
Sincerely,
Mark Curtis
My Current Letter to Sony:
Dear Sony-
I have been considering purchase of a camera to replace my aged Sony DSCS50. I am considering the Sony® Cyber-shot® DSC-H7/B 8.1-Megapixel Digital Camera. My concern is about the Rootkits found in Sony Products.
I was lied to in July of 2005 regarding the software installed on my system. I later found that a rootkit was installed by my daughter's N Beddingfield CD. It caused all manner of problems and time spent repairing the computer. Please read my letters sent to SONY here: http://www.mboxcommunity.com/SONY.html and here: http://www.mboxcommunity.com/forums...read.php?t=2406
I now find out that my fears of this rootkit finding its way into other Sony products has occurred. Does the software that comes with the camera have any software that installs a rootkit as a part of its operation? Would you even tell me if it did? Can I trust Sony?
I'm not going to purchase this camera next week until I get some assurances. If I do not hear from Sony, I will purchase another brand. The Canon PowerShot S3 IS 6.0-Megapixel Digital Camera seems to be a really nice camera to now base my future photographic needs upon. Quite frankly, I never did get an answer from any of my other requests for information. I have about given up on Sony as a result.
Regards-
Mark Curtis
I never did get an answer to any of my requests of the previous letters to this last one. I'm going to buy a Canon next week i think. Sony just does not get it. But, let's see what they say in light of the new revelations about the BioShock game. We shall see, but I give Sony no confidence that they will answer this letter either.
I received the following in response to my inquiry...
Mark,
Thank you for contacting Sony Online Support.
The issue you describe requires more extensive troubleshooting and communication than can be effectively handled via e-mail. Please contact our telephone support staff who will be happy to provide further diagnosis and assistance at: (800) 222-7669 or (239) 768-7669 Intl.
Thank you for the opportunity to be of assistance.
Your Sony Email Response Team
CJ6J
Shirley
To which my reply was...
No... It was a simple run of three questions...
1) Does the software that comes with the camera have any software that installs a rootkit as a part of its operation?
2) Would you even tell me if it did?
In light of the BioShock DRM being the same thing over again as the music CD problem I encountered...
3) Can I trust Sony?
If you cannot give those three answers in writing, I guess I have little more to discuss with Sony.
I guess my concerns are going to go unanswered. The new Canon S5 is looking pretty darned good now. Can I trust Canon more than Sony? Probably, since they don't produce music and game to my knowledge.