Under its new anti-spyware law, the State of Texas has sued Sony BMG Music Entertainment, on the grounds that its much-maligned XCP anti-piracy software included on numerous recent releases has left customers" computers open to attacks.
The software, which limits the times a user can copy tracks from a disc onto their computer, has been attacked relentlessly since Sony included it on more than 50 new releases. Unwary customers were not told of the software"s presence on their machines. Worse still for Sony, the "fix" that was released to remove the software only caused more security problems. After much pressure, Sony recalled the CDs late last week.
However, Attorney General Greg Abbott pointed out that many discs with the XCP software remained on store shelves, including releases by Neil Diamond and Celine Dion. The suit seeks damages up to $100,000 per offense as permitted by the law. Abbott went on to say that there were thousands of these violations.