None of the big record labels support music piracy, but it has to be said that Sony BMG has come into the spotlight more than most about this topic, especially when it sold CDs which secretly installed a rootkit on the customer's computer in an attempt to prevent them illegally sharing songs. However, the company is now on the receiving end of an anti-piracy case regarding software installed on four of its servers. French software developer PointDev discovered that Sony BMG was supplying pirated license keys to some employees for the company's Ideal Migration software, which meant it was able to mandate a seizer of Sony BMG's assets. The subsequent raid has revealed that as much as 47% of software on Sony BMG's servers may be pirated, and the music label now faces a €300,000 (over $470,000) lawsuit from PointDev.

Sony BMG has become the last of the 'big four' record labels to drop Digital Rights Management - on part of its music collection at least. Specific details have not yet been released, so this could potentially apply to all of the songs that Sony offers for download. Digital Rights Management is the technology that limits users to playing songs only on certain computers and devices, and has been the subject of fierce opposition over recent months. Warner, EMI and Universal have all made plans for DRM-free downloads, and Sony is set to launch its DRM-free downloads in the first quarter of this year.