• NY Times, Tuesday, November 22, 2005 11:02 AM

In separate lawsuits, Sony BMG has been sued by the Texas Attorney General and California's Electronic Frontier Foundation for embedding software in millions of its CDs that exposes users' computers to potential security risks. The company reportedly did this to limit music piracy, but bloggers discovered earlier this month the security threats the bundled software poses to computers. The copy-protection software was installed on 52 recordings, nearly 5 million discs. Sony BMG responded to the concerns with a public apology on its Web site last week, urging users to trade in their affected versions for free nonrestricted ones. The company also recalled all affected CDs from retailers nationwide. Only consumers playing the CDs on Windows-based PCs are said to be at risk. The lawsuit filed with the State Superior Court in Los Angeles by the Electronic Frontier Foundation also covers 20 million CDs bundled with another type of software that apparently does not pose any security risks.

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