Sony Unveils
December 9th, 2005
Sony/BMG (SNE-N) has today unveiled what it hopes will be the final word in the controversy surrounding the numerous security issues raised by the DRM cum rootkit used on several compact discs released by the label. Trouble continued to follow the company as security holes were discovered in the patch released to resolve the initial problem and more recently, in a completely separate set of discs released under the label. The company has clearly been struggling to find the balance between protecting the Intellectual Property of its artists while still respecting the rights and desires of its customers.
"We believe that our latest innovation, the Sony "Super Disc", will finally put to rest the concerns our customers have been so vocal in expressing.", said a Sony executive conducting a press conference from behind bullet-proof glass under condition of anonymity. "We have listened to your concerns and removed the final security hole from our discs. There is no longer any possibility that one of our discs will pose a security risk to a consumer’s computer."
Strong words from a company that has several times proclaimed the ongoing situation resolved. Fortunately for Sony, they are backing up their strong words with strong actions. All artists currently publishing under the Sony/BMG label and any future artists will have their albums released only on the new "Super Discs". Sony is, in fact, pinning all of its hopes on what appears to be the Holy Grail all of the major recording labels have been searching for.
"These new discs not only protect the computers of the consumer, but also provide 100% protection against unauthorized copying and/or public performance. A new age is now dawning for artists, labels and consumers alike.", continued the executive. Despite the company’s overwhelming optimism regarding the new solution, several people in attendance raised new concerns over the "Super Discs".
A reporter from the New York Times was the first to voice these concerns. "I am sure we can all agree that this new format eradicates the security issues and prevents any and all unauthorized copying, but are you not worried that some consumers will still want to listen to the music contained on the discs? Perhaps in a traditional CD player?"
The official Sony response was nothing if not definitive: "The content of these discs represents the Intellectual Property of the artists we represent. We therefore have every right to limit the usage of said IP in any manner we deem fit. In this case, we are granting consumers the right to possess the music created by our artists and we feel that them demanding to hear the music is just too much. They have radios, they can listen to them." Indeed, with the "Super Discs" lacking the central hole of normal CDs they will not be playable in any devices currently available so the radio industry may be facing a renaissance of sorts.
When asked what Sony would do if consumers chose to no longer purchase these non-playable CDs, the executive replied, "Fuck the consumers. They’ll buy what we tell them to and they’ll like it!" With that, the executive and his associates announced that the press conference was over and made a hasty exit to their black helicopter waiting outside.
