Company fined $3m for adware use

[danrok]

From the front page:
http://www.aoaforums.com/frontpage/content/view/1377/2/

Comments?

[noob]

So thats the company which created the hated 180search assistant BHO.

Pity it wasn't closer to $300M

This is also good news. It should also be noted that programs like Starforce, also cause similar problems, as well as the highly publicised Sony DRM. Companies beware, if its not clear and removable, you could be fined.

Finally some good news for the consumer.

[Pitch]

Originally Posted by noob

So thats the company which created the hated 180search assistant BHO.

Pity it wasn't closer to $300M

This is also good news. It should also be noted that programs like Starforce, also cause similar problems, as well as the highly publicised Sony DRM. Companies beware, if its not clear and removable, you could be fined.

Finally some good news for the consumer.

Oh yes.. good old Starforce.

Managed to brick two of my drives while it was installed. Remove the drivers and all is well again.

Thankfully, their biggest supporter. Ubisoft has dropped them, which is most definately a good thing.

It seemed EA understood this too, they included a huge leaflet detailing the live ad system it uses. Although I really think it should be on the packaging itself.

[bonesaw]

3 million thats it! wtf

[noob]

Bonesaw, while I agree and wish it was enough to bankrupt them, especiaslly after the support problems they have caused for me. Think of it like a test case, this is just the beginning, and it allows people to bring their own suites forward, especially in the case of starforce, and the companies which use starforce. Also the early test cases usually have low fines, etc, just to make sure they stick without being overturned later.

I aplaude the fine, and the doorway opened to make software vendors more responsible for their product.

Starforce is a anticopying feature, so was the sony rootkit. But DVD's and many other games do it differently, with cyclic codes, and multiple random disk seeks. Neither of these require potentially harmful software to be installed onto your HDD.

With this case opening the way, it should hopefully give companies pause before allowing software such as starforce to be used in their products, as well as starforce being changed to actually have an uninstaller, that works.

Also saying that, I own a copy of X3, it has starforce, I 'illegally' downloaded a copy of X3 which has had starforce removed, so I don't have that junk on my computer. I intend doing the same with any other media I own, which behaves in that manner. Enlight actually released a patch for X2 which removes the version of copy protection used by that disk (pre starforce, starforce)

[captaincurran]

damn the 180 search! glad this will set a precident against adware companies

[noob]

So am I!!

While I don't have anything against ads, an online game I play (Entropia Universe) has ads as a part of it, but you have the option to not view them.

I agree with a certain amount of advertising, and I personally think non intrusive product placement actually has more effect than most other forms. But adware to put annoying popups, and making it all but impossible to remove, is as far removed from the informative, and possibly revinue making as well, as I can think.

When I worked on the MS helpdesk, I got so many calls regarding spyware/adware and it was the 180search assistant, several businesses, in which it came with software they had purchased for their jobs. This directly cost the businesses involved alot of money.

[aztec61]

Nope. I say "off with their heads". Companies like this should be put out of biz or severely fined, to show others what happens if they think of doing the same. That's the only thing that will truly stop them.

Similar to the Big Auto corps designing in or allowing to pass a known flaw into their cars, assuming that any future lawsuits from damages/deaths incurred are just "part of the cost of doing business". They include the potential litigation costs and fines as part of their company overhead, and adjust their product pricing accordingly.

So, when you buy a car you're essentially paying for the lawyers that will fight you in court, should you need to bring a wrongful injury suit against the likes of GM or Ford.

[danrok]

Hard to know how much of a penalty $3m is to them, without knowing how much profit they've been making - could be 100's of millions.

[alexkerhead]

They should have been shut down, but big business always wins out.

[danrok]

Trouble is if the go bust, they just start up all over again with a new company.

[Daniel ~]

Not if they are imprisoned. Shame we can't see our way to sending them there...

[danrok]

Originally Posted by Daniel ~

Not if they are imprisoned. Shame we can't see our way to sending them there...

Then the wife, son, cousin, etc. takes over the crooked empire...

[Pitch]

They should be forced to remove it all themselves. Manually.

[danrok]

ROFL. That would do it.

[Daniel ~]

from prison...":O}

[Wolf2000me]

M$ Vista will not allow modifications to its internal system like Star Force does. These guys still have no answer to that so see them heading for the exit too

A good feature of Vista, who 'd have thought?