Charlie Sorrel
Gear

Sony Copy Protection Stings Honest People Once Again

Several DVDs using their ARccOS copy protection system are refusing to play in DVD players.... Now, though, the discs are locking up normal players (from RCA, Toshiba, Phillips, Harman Kardon and ironically, Sony) and jamming them shut.

Sonydrm

Sony is at it again. Several DVDs using their ARccOS copy protection system are refusing to play in DVD players.

The system is designed to stop copying by corrupting sectors on the disc. Standalone DVD players skip over these using error correction but copying software has trouble. It tries to read the bad sectors and disappears off into an endless loop. In theory anyway. As we all know, a determined pirate can get around anything.

Now, though, the discs are locking up normal players (from RCA, Toshiba, Phillips, Harman Kardon and ironically, Sony) and jamming them shut. It seems Sony's attitude is, as ever, less than sympathetic. They say the manufacturers need to update their firmware.

Thanks Sony. Yet another way to persecute your honest customers while having no effect on piracy whatsoever.

Sony really sucks at DRM [ZDNet]