Greg over at Perfect Porridge is one of the guys who bought a rootkit-infected album from Sony BMG. He’s one of the guys who qualifies for free replacement albums and a small cash settlement for the trouble he’s gone through trying to get Sony’s sneaky piece of malware off his computer.
sony
Sony Rootkit Settlement Reached, Approved
By 6.6.06
Somehow this escaped our attention, but on May 23, the judge approved the settlement on the Sony rootkit debacle, you remember, the one where they installed crippling programs on your computer to prevent you from copying their precious cds?
See You in the Funnies, MPAA/RIAA
By 4.19.06
Hi-larious webcomic skewering the DRM Nazis’ ‘business model.’
Bite Taken out of Apple’s Customer Service
By 4.3.06
Star found a $4,000 camera on sale for only $2000. After a few shopping cart hijinx, Apple refused to sell the camera to him.
How DRM Affects Battery Life
By 3.17.06
With all the furor over DRM lately, CNet asked itself the simple question, “How does DRM affect battery life on your iPod?” As you might expect, the answer is — badly.
Sony to Customers: Kill Others
By 3.10.06
Earlier, we here at the Consumerist were brave enough to tell you about a recent London subway PSP advertisement that gleefully encouraged Sony customers to kill themselves. We took the opportunity in reporting this to wonder whether or not Sony’s next subversive advertisement tact might be to encourage their customers to start killing people.
Sony to Customers: Kill Yourselves
By 3.9.06
Sony might want to start rethinking their subversive ad strategy. First, they came under fire for paying street hooligans to spray paint their logos on private property. And now, in London, they are posting advertisements openly encouraging their customers to kill themselves.
Worst Company in America: Tier 1 Results
By 3.6.06
Ladies and Gentlemen, your Tier 1 champions! Some no-brainers, squeakers and absolute pummeling.
How-To Run A Viral Marketing Campaign
By 3.2.06
We’re not as hip as our editor, Ben Whatsisface [ed: Popken!]. How could we be? We live in Dublin, for Chrissakes. We don’t have a crewcut, we don’t have glasses. By extension, we probably don’t have his panache with the ladies, nor his disestablishmentarianist fervor.
SonySuit.com Covers Sony Rootkit Settlement Details
By 2.7.06
Just in case you purchased a Sony CD “protected” by the rootkit DRM and want to claim your $7.50 worth of mp3s, SonySuit.com has all the available details on registering to take part. We’re still particularly interested in the precedent being set here by Sony: they have gone on record stating that $7.50 is the price of two full albums of digital music. And a few mp3s to have your computer’s security compromised still seems like a pretty crappy deal. But it’s better than nothing and every person taking part in the class action suit is helping send a message to companies trying to implement similarly sleazy DRM schemes. So go check it out, if you’ve still got that Celine Dion receipt in your wallet.
Step-By-Step Guide On Reselling PS3s
By 2.7.06
Do you want to get rich by playing the supply-exploit-demand eBay game on the next big video game console? Did you see those ridiculous $1000 X-Box 360 eBay auctions and think, “Man, I wish I could get in on some of that exploitive action?” Your prayers have been answered, because this blog has a remarkably sleazy and delusional article up on the fine art of console reselling.
B2.0’s “101 Dumbest Moments in Business” 2005
By 1.25.06
Join us as we read the Business 2.0 (on CNNMoney) piece, ‘101 Dumbest Moments in Business (2005),’ featuring old favorites like the Sony BMG rootkit scandal and Overstock.com’s Patrick Byrne’s famous “Sith Lord” investor call, as well as new gems like this:Speaking at an ad industry event in…
Zombie Bot Overlord Faces Prison For Ad Scams
By 1.24.06
Another malware scammer bites the dust:
Starting in August 2004, Ancheta turned to a new, more lucrative method to profit from his botnets, prosecutors said. Working with a juvenile in Boca Raton, Fla., whom prosecutors identified by his Internet nickname “SoBe,” Ancheta infected more than 400,000 computers.
Morning Deals Round Up
By 1.23.06
• SlickDeals is reporting that the Sony DSC-S40 4.1-megapixel camera is going for a $100, in store only. Yes, that would be a good deal.
Now Canada Is Suing Sony Over Rootkits
By 1.6.06
Our Northern Brethren are getting in on the act of suing the pants off of Sony BMG for their “DRM” rootkits:
