You probably already know that Sony BMG has started selling at least some CDs that include built-in copy-protection, making it difficult to play the CDs on a computer using any media player other than the one bundled on the CD, and limiting the number of copies you can make. But it turns out that, behind the scenes, Sony may also be installing a rootkit, or hidden directory containing cloaked files, when you run that media player. Mark Russinovich of SysInternals did a detailed analysis of a rootkit he found on his PC, and discovered that, not only was it surreptitiously installed by Sony when he played a protected CD, but it also hogged system resources and integrated itself into Windows so deeply that uninstalling it disabled Mark's CD drive. Mark's conclusion: "The entire experience was frustrating and irritating. Not only had Sony put software on my system that uses techniques commonly used by malware to mask its presence, the software is poorly written and provides no means for uninstall. Worse, most users that stumble across the cloaked files ... will cripple their computer if they attempt the obvious step of deleting the cloaked files. While I believe in the media industry’s right to use copy protection mechanisms to prevent illegal copying, I don’t think that we’ve found the right balance of fair use and copy protection, yet. This is a clear case of Sony taking DRM too far." Couldn't have said it better myself.