Changing the subject back to Sony:
I wonder where the "blame trail" ends? After all, someone came up with the idea, then their manager approved it, then their manager approved it, then the IT manager approved it, then the assistant VP approved it, and so on. Did none of these people even think about the consquences? (Obviously not).
And will the executives think, "Hmm... that didn't work so well. Let's work on tighter security measures!"

Remember, these are the same executives who blame their poor sales on only pirating. They ignore other factors such as poor music, high CD prices (especially when compared to iTunes and the now-legal Napster), etc.

Good points. I personally feel that whole chain should be held accountable. Perhaps not jail time, but something. More than a simple "Tsk tsk, bad boys and girls." I mean, if it was me that released a viral code module into the wild, I would be imprisoned for at leasta year, perhaps 3, and I would be banned from using a computer for at least 10 years after release. (This was an actual punishment handed out once.)

The fact that most music is crap is the number one complaint of practically everyone these days. The record companies want to point the finger everywhere else to cover the fact that they are signing people with no talent.

Personally, I don't DL music. Whatever I listen to is on the radio, streams via Launchcast, or I buy it on CD. But I never buy a disk unless I have heard at least 3 songs that I truly can say I like. At that point, I feel I will get the best music for my money. Almost every time I am satisfied, but of course there are still exceptions.

Who knows? Maybe this will turn out to be a wakeup call. It is the perfect opportunity for governments to get some good PR. Obviously, MS sees the potential. They jumped on the "beat Sony down" bandwagon. Could that have anything to do with the release of a new XBox fast approaching, ahead of the new PlayStation? Hmmmm...