French company sues Sony BMG on piracy charges

newsguy 0 572 Views

Oh the irony.

According to The Inquirer and others it would appear that Sony BMG, you know the same Sony BMG that has fought such a high profile and bitter legal war against individuals for copyright violation by using music file sharing sites, is itself in trouble on charges of using pirated software.

Apparently a small French software company called PointDev were a little perplexed to get a support call from a Sony BMG employee regarding one of its products, Ideal Migration. Mainly because, says the , it discovered that the software had been activated with a stolen authorisation key.

PointDev went so far as to get a search warrant and the Sony BMG office concerned was raided, and four servers with further unlicensed copies of PointDev software installed were seized as evidence.

Yes, court evidence. For it further appears that PointDev want this to go through the legal process as an example. Of course, the lawsuit does contain a rather large demand for financial compensation as well.

Did I say “oh the irony” already?

Dani AI

Generated

summed up the headline irony nicely and ’s reaction is typical — but the practical takeaways matter more than the punchline. Incidents where a vendor alleges unauthorized activation can quickly become legal, operational, and PR problems for both sides, so treating them as a risk-management issue pays off.

A few legal/process realities to keep in mind: courts in many jurisdictions can issue preservation or seizure orders in intellectual-property cases, but seizure is a procedural step, not proof of guilt. The most useful evidence for either side is license/activation records, purchase and deployment documentation, support logs, and properly imaged systems with preserved timestamps. Early involvement of technical forensics and legal counsel helps protect chain-of-custody and keeps options open.

Practical checklist vendors and IT teams can use right away:

  • Verify before escalating: match activation metadata to your sales/issuance records.
  • Preserve evidence: export logs and, if needed, create forensic images rather than deleting or altering files.
  • Document communications: keep copies of support requests, purchase orders and any internal approvals.
  • Choose proportional response: consider an audit request or formal notice via counsel before asking for heavy-handed remedies.
  • Reduce future risk: adopt Software Asset Management, centralize procurement, limit local admin rights and run periodic discovery scans.

This thread is a reminder that licensing is both a legal and operational discipline. Small vendors should weigh enforcement costs against business outcomes. Companies accused of misuse should preserve evidence and seek counsel immediately. For everyone else, a short, regular internal audit will avoid the majority of situations that escalate into headlines.

Member Avatar for steven woodman
steven woodman 57 Posting Pro in Training

excellent !

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