According to the Silicon Alley Insider, a French software company called Pointdev is suing Sony BMG for using pirated Pointdev software on their servers. Not only could this be a costly mistake, but it’s doubly embarrassing because in 2005, Sony BMG put out CDs that secretly installed intrusive, system-hogging “rootkit” software when played on a computer. Why? To try to keep people from pirating their products! Sony recalled the CDs (and finally, just this past week, put out a list of the ones affected) and have been hit with numerous lawsuits over it. They finally agreed to reimburse any customer whose computer was damaged by the rootkit, up to $150 each.

And now Poindev is asking for $475,000 in damages, which is probably less harmful to Sony than yet another public-relations disaster over a piracy issue. Looks like the only thing anybody involved has learned is that there’s just no reason to buy CDs anymore. Oh, and that payback’s a bitch, matey. Ahrrrrr!