Sony: Marketing Fiasco of the Year

Sony has perfected the art of alienating one's audience. The music company's marketing morass has gotten stickier as the Texas Attorney General has expanded his lawsuit to include the MediaMax anti-piracy software.

While the XCP digital rights management software on the Sony CDs opened up a security hole on computers, the MediaMax software installs software that relays information to Sony about the CDs played on the computer. The AG says not informing users about this extra code -- which installs even if you decline the license agreement -- violates the state spyware law.

Sony's name is mud for a long time with music enthusiasts young and old, as well as with artists. This has to be the runaway winner of the bonehead marketing move of 2005. Do we have any other nominees?