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Buzz: Judge approves Sony CD settlement

By Times Wire
Published May 29, 2006

A federal judge in Manhattan has granted final approval to a settlement by Sony BMG Music Entertainment of several class-action lawsuits over the use of copy-protection software on its compact discs. The settlement, which received preliminary approval in January, covers consumers who bought CDs with copy-protection software known as XCP or MediaMax. Under terms of the settlement, consumers will be able to exchange CDs with the copy-protection software for a replacement CD without the software and other compensation, depending on what type of software was included on the CD they bought, including free music downloads. The company will provide consumers with a patch that removes the software from their computer. Some consumers have raised concerns that the XCP software can make their computers vulnerable to viruses or other problems when the CDs are played.

Motorola to release rival to BlackBerry

Motorola Inc., the world's second-largest maker of mobile phones, said it will release Wednesday its Q phone and e-mail device designed to challenge the BlackBerry. Verizon Wireless will sell the Q for $199.99 after a $100 rebate with a two-year wireless agreement, Motorola said. The Q phone, being released two months behind schedule, represents chief executive officer Ed Zander's effort to crack the dominance of Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry and tap burgeoning demand for phones that act as e-mail devices and day planners. That market may grow ninefold to 52-million by 2010, said FTN Midwest analyst Ben Bollin. Research In Motion plans to add cameras and music players to the BlackBerry to counter competition from Motorola and larger rival Nokia Oyj. Research In Motion of Waterloo, Ontario, last month said it has almost 5-million subscribers and expects to add 675,000 in the three months through June 3.

Software piracy high in China, Russia

Makers of computer software report that piracy rates, while high, declined slightly in China and Russia last year, but that global losses from the use of illegal computer software rose to $34-billion. The Business Software Alliance said in a new report that 35 percent of the packaged software installed on personal com-puters worldwide in 2005 was illegal, the same percentage of pirated software found in 2004. However, the group said losses from that illegal software rose to $34-billion, an increase of $1.6-billion from 2004, reflecting an expanding level of sales around the world. The four countries with the biggest declines in piracy were China, where 86 percent of software sold is pirated, down 4 percentage points from the 90 percent of 2004; Russia, down 4 percentage points to 83 percent; Ukraine, down 6 percentage points to 85 percent; and Morocco, down 4 percentage points to 68 percent. The United States had the lowest piracy rate in the world last year at 21 percent. However, that amounted to $6.9-billion in losses to software manufacturers, the highest of any country because the U.S. market for computer software is so large.

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- TIMES WIRES

[Last modified May 29, 2006, 05:59:47]