Electronics and entertainment giant Sony has attracted the ire of Internet users by forcing the closure of a Web site dedicated to the Aibo electronic dog.
An Aibo fan who identifies himself only as Aibopet had used his site Aibohack.com to distribute his Aibo software. The applications gave owners the ability to add functions to their electronic pets through tools which taught the robot dog to dance, expanded its recording capability and communications features.
However, according to Sony Electronics division Entertainment Robot America (ERA), the software infringed Sony copyrights and had to go.
In a letter addressed to Aibopet under his real name, the company called for the removal of programs that infringed their copyrights. According to ERA, the site was copying and distributing Sony software.
'You mentioned you merely provide back-up copies of Aibo-ware for the convenience of users. Your reasoning for providing this code does not matter. By copying and distributing this code, you are violating Sony's copyrights and are in breach of the end-user licence agreement governing the use of the software,' wrote ERA vice-president Victor Matsuda.
Mr Matsuda wrote that information on the site could be used to circumvent Aibo-ware's copy protection. This, he said, violated the United States Government's controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
