Sony Accused of Software Piracy

According to Engadget, Sony France has been accused of pirated software.

Windows admin tool developer PointDev says a Sony BMG was caught when an IT staffer actually called up for support and gave a pirated license number to the phone tech. That's some pretty shady behavior for a company that's rammed anti-piracy measures down its own customers' throats -- too bad it's probably not going to feel the hit of the €300,000 ($475,000) lawsuit nearly as hard as the college students it routinely sues for $5,000.

If you're going to sue people for stealing your stuff, it's probably a good idea to pay for things you use.

Comments

[Old Timer Too]

Sony needs to have its cases thrown out of court based upon its own "dirty hands" in its own business dealings. It has mucked around so badly that it produced DVDs that wouldn't play on some its own players and now this?

I love their products, but hate the corporation. Someone needs to empty the entire upper echelon of corporate Sony, world-wide.

[Steven Hoober]

When I worked at [a major midwestern telecom] everyone was officially really antsy about software licenses. Just before I got there they'd been fined a lot after a software audit.

In practice, IT procurement continued to make it as hard as possible to get anything. After a lot of software (graphics department, so different from others) got stolen by individuals who left, I took it all under my wing and doled it out. Kept a central repository of licenses and reg numbers.

And a few lines of that spreadsheet expressly had violations noted. Once we needed to get something done, and we could NOT get software bought on time. So, with management approval, I got a cracked serial and used that for 2 months. My favorite was when the procurement guys sent us Flash disks, without the box. Or serial. Never got it. So, I documented that we had paid for it, but then had the Flash developers install cracked serials. The option was to wait months and pay more money from our cost center. And Macromedia already got paid.

Big companies are stupid.

[Paul]

I hope I don't come across as defending Sony, but did it occur to anyone that perhaps Sony's legally purchased serial was stolen? Now it shows up as pirated, because a lot of people are using it... Just throwing it out there...

[Old Timer Too]

A lot of larger corporations are guilty of illegally using software for one reason or another. As Steven Hooper explained, sometimes it is the procurement process itself that is broken. Sometimes it is receiving (which should _never_ open sealed software boxes). Way back when, AutoCAD dealers would come and install the software purchased. It was great because you knew that you had legal copies that were properly supported.

Regardless of the reason, procurement departments, management, and receiving need to be held personally accountable when projects are delayed because software is not timely purchased and installed. Then, if cracks must be used, get management to put it in writing and let them, personally, pay the fines.

If a company cannot afford the software, then it doesn't deserve to be in business. Projects need to be properly and completely funded.