Hypocrisy alert – Sony busted for using Warez

That’s right, Sony BMG, one of the world’s leading music companies, somebody ready to sue you for using Napster, just got busted for using Internet-password hacking Warez.

PointDev, a French software company that makes Windows administration tools, received a call from a Sony BMG IT employee for support. After Sony BMG supplied a pirated license code for Ideal Migration, one of PointDev's products, the software maker was able to mandate a seizure of Sony BMG's assets. The subsequent raid revealed that software was illegally installed on four of Sony BMG's servers. The Business Software Alliance, however, believes that up to 47 percent of the software installed on Sony BMG's computers could be pirated.

Forty-seven percent? Shit. I think Sony’s going to have more problems than the€300,000 ($475,000) PointDev is suing it for.

Sony shakes down laptop customers at $50 a shot

I’m sorry, it’s actually “just” $49.99 that Sony is charging recent laptop buyers to remove craptop software it preinstalled.

Sony’s justification? It covers the pre-shipping cost of removing the crapware on the configure-to-order versions of its Vaio TZ2000 and Vaio TZ2500 laptops.