Sony BMG Music Entertainment is offering free music downloads to settle a class-action lawsuit computer users filed over the company's copyright-protection software, according to news reports.

Sony BMG recalled discs containing XCP and MediaMax antipiracy software after customers sued in November claiming Sony's copy-protection technology damaged their computers. The software, reports said, makes computers vulnerable to hackers and monitoring. Specifically, XCP, which Sony BMG added to 52 of its CD titles, disables a computer user's firewall and anti-virus software.

Under the settlement terms, consumers could replace CDs with the antipiracy technology for new ones and choose from one of two incentive packages:

• The first package gives consumers $7.50 and a promotional code to download one additional album from a list of some 200 titles.
• The second package lets consumers download three additional albums from the list.

Consumers who bought MediaMax CDs can download new MP3 versions of their CDs and another album from a designated list, news reports said. The proposed settlement was reached in U.S. District Court in Manhattan last week and must be approved by a federal judge, reports said. A ruling is expected on Jan. 6.

Electronic Frontier Foundation, a California-based consumer group, was among the parties that sued Sony BMG.

"The proposed settlement will provide significant benefits for consumers who bought the flawed CDs," said EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn, in a statement. "Under the terms, those consumers will get what they thought they were buying—music that will play on their computers without restriction or security risk."

Sony BMG is a joint venture of Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG.