If a netbot owner risks 50 year of jailsentence by using spyware why doesn't the sony management that decided to include this spyware on the cd's risk the same amount? Doesn't it mean large companies are rather untouchable against punishments for the same crimes committed by normal citizens?

As I 've read the original weblog of Mark Russinovich, it became clear that there is NO MENTION what so ever in the EULA on the targeted CD's that software is goin to be installed. Furthermore they don't ask for your approval to install the software! And to complete the spyware definition once installed no option to uninstall had been given. If it wasn't detected by Mark Russinovich this piece of spyware would still be installed right now. That there has been no major complaints in 8 months is irrelevant because, as Mark Russinovich's weblog states, the rootkit can be used by other spyware software to HIDE themselves from the system. Even so if you try to delete the spyware yourself your CD drive becomes unusable because it installs an extra driver on your cd-rom system files.

Where it comes down to is that the software is 100% spyware, and in fact the way Sony invaded your privacy and exposed your system to vulnerabilities and other spyware attacks is unnacceptable. I hear heavy sentences are asked for spyware makers, why would that be different in the Sony spyware story?

Apparently the 'little fish' get crucified, as there are spyware makers caught every day and they get demonised, like they're the pure essence of evil. I would just like to see that the 'big fish' ie the big companies like sony get punished the same way, and people atleast have the same judgement about that company as they have on other spyware makers. But then again, it's easier picking on a single person than it is picking on a multinational company.