Nickname: Matt P.

Review: (To previous comment) Well, you gotta think though. Radio Companies pay for every song they play. I believe some pay a penny per track played. So every song you hear (Whether repeat or not) is paid for. Think, 500 Radio stations, play your song 20 times, a penny each... it's already around $100 compared to thousands lost to illegal downloading... I think that program is a great idea. Several companies/artists have gone out of business because of such illegal acts. It makes me smile to see action finally being taken to prevent such illegal acts. (The exploding computer wasn't a bad idea either...)

Date reviewed: Feb 11, 2009 4:27 PM

Nickname: stargateok

Review: What about the fact that many companies are blatant hypocrites? They publicly say "we don't want anyone copying (supposed) protected material and then like Sony, Phillips and others, they make huge profits from selling the software and hardware to do exactly that. Like the one comment about people downloading what they could never afford to buy. Where are the artists or the music companies really hurt? SOME of those people will probably buy some of the music if they like it. Downloading music for free to evaluate it is no worse then recording it off the radio to evaluate it. How come companies like Sony aren't trying to shut down all radio stations? Don't they supply the music free just like the internet? It's all just a ridiculous debate started by greedy people that like someone here said, they want two pools instead of just one. 1 million isn't enough. Just like the oil companies, greed is the driving force.

Date reviewed: Aug 28, 2006 5:02 PM

Nickname: Liberator

Review: Music companies have been making laughable amounts of money off the backs of music artists since I was born. It is within their intersts to spy on you, hamper your freedom, and even criminalize you. A big twos up to the commercial world for thinking that they own the rights to my computer. An even bigger twos up to the artists. Wouldn't it be a shame if you had to settle for only one swimming pool in your mansion? Has it ever been considered that people now have access to media that they could never have afforded, would never have bought. In this instance nobody loses money. In fact, blank CD manufacturers make sales they wouldn't have otherwise.

Date reviewed: Apr 19, 2006 11:17 AM

Nickname: smoshlak

Review: I understand that the digital rights may belong to the recording studio, but when they load other material on that .cda files, it is a blatant trespass and security nightmare, to say the least. What compounds this is that the artists have no concept of what's going on! I recently purchased Harry Connick Jr.'s "Harry for the Holidays" CD, produced by Columbia Records (Sony BMG) and noticed that the burn patterns on the CD were quite unusual. When I tried to play it on my computer, software was about to do a "self-install" to "help" it play the CD on my computer. I examined the CD and found no .cda files and contacted Mr. Connick's management company (Wilkins Management). They stated that "we had no knowledge of a problem like this" and they are investigating the matter.

Date reviewed: Dec 12, 2005 1:56 AM

Nickname: Rob

Review: This is nothing worse than what happens with most legal music distrobution. iTunes doesn't allow playing of paid music in other players. But what if iTunes doesn't work anymore? Why can't I incorporate my music into a mix CD unless it's with iTunes? While the right to intellectual property is important, once paid for, then don't I have a right to use it for myself how I see fit?

Date reviewed: Dec 2, 2005 5:14 PM

Nickname: anonymous critic

Review: I hate the use of the word "again." The writer says "As for malicious software--again, anything is possible" To me this sounds like a rude way to recap something that has already been discussed. The fact that with malware anything is possible was not previously covered in the text. It is becoming common to say "and again...." about things that were not previously discussed. Even if they were discussed, it is a sort of rude. It sounds as if it is a chore to go over something again, so pay attention the first time. It is like saying, you're missing my point, so again. Is it some kind of superiority thing, or a lame attempt to sound competent? This writer's style is great besides that one line. And again, please don't use that phrase! It is not going to make you any friends, and it is not clever. Back to the topic at hand. Sony has a lot of nerve putting this garbage on our computers. I agree with MS and the others who classify this as Malware. Reject these products!

Date reviewed: Nov 30, 2005 1:13 AM

Nickname: Composer

Review: "Restriction Hater" has obviously never created any intellectual property. If he or she had, he or she would realize that some people depend on selling intellectual property to make a living. A blank CD is worth about 20 cents with nothing on it. It's what's on it that has value even though you can't physically touch it. It is stealing to copy it without paying for it.

Date reviewed: Nov 29, 2005 5:27 PM

Nickname: Al

Review: To Uhm - Well, you're half right. Copying your own CDs for your own use has nothing to do with the "Fair Use" doctrine. It is legal, but its legality is based on the Audio Home Recording Act of 1982. As long as you have ownership of the original media and retain possession of all copies of the work, you're legal. Strangely, the Act was drafted, in part, by the RIAA itself.

Date reviewed: Nov 28, 2005 11:46 PM

Nickname: Uhm

Review: This message is for Jim. Actually copying your own CDs for backup or to play on a variety of music players (MP3 players, computer, etc.) is perfectly legal and protected under the "Fair Use" doctrine. However I disagree with you in that copying a CD off a vendor's shelf that you haven't bought is strictly speaking stealing. This is because the intrinsic value of the CD is the intellectual property that resides on the CD, not the physical CD itself. When you copy the music withoutbuying it you have essentially taken the part of the CD that actually has value.

Date reviewed: Nov 28, 2005 9:43 AM

Nickname: Music lover

Review: Just don't buy any Sony CD's until they clean up their act. The company has good products, but seems to be on a mission to destroy the company through such foolishness as this episode. Who keeps watch over these people who come up with these ideas in the first place?

Date reviewed: Nov 28, 2005 4:12 AM