Tainted Sony CDs Used Open Source
`The XCP program, developed by British software firm First4Internet and used by Sony BMG to restrict copying and sharing of music CDs, is already highly controversial because it acts like virus software and hides deep inside a computer where it leaves the backdoor open for malicious hackers. [..]
It turns out that this music player contains components from an open-source project, an MP3 player called LAME.
“Multiple software components on the CD have references to the LAME open-source MP3 code,” Finnish software developer Matti Nikki said in an e-mail.
After unraveling the code, others found similar evidence.
“We can confirm that at least five functions in the XCP software are identical to functions in LAME,” said Thomas Dullien at security software firm Saber Security [..]
“That’s the flipside of open source: If you don’t respect the open-source rules, the old regime of copy protection comes back in full force,” said Christiaan Alberdingk Thijm, an attorney and internet specialist at law firm SOLV in the Netherlands.’
