Natalie Imbruglia's CD was first to be copy-protected

A Sony spokeswoman told the Hollywood Reporter newspaper the CD would not corrupt computers, although it would cause it to crash and as a result of that, might not eject properly.

A New Day Has Come is Dion's first studio album in five years, after she took time off to have her first baby.

Last year record company BMG had to replace some copies of singer Natalie Imbruglia's latest release, White Lilies Island, because it did not warn customers that the CD would not play on PCs.

New technology

It sparked complaints because the CD would not work in some older stereo systems and did not function in DVD players with audio CD capabilities.

At the time BMG admitted it was "concerned" but said complaints had only been received from about one customer for every 1,000 CDs shipped to shops.

Sony, BMG and the other major record companies - Universal, Warner and EMI - are all keen to employ technologies that will limit the digital duplication of CDs.

But some consumers are alarmed, and say that record retailers are not making the distinction between normal and copy-protected CDs clear enough.

In September a California woman sued a record company and technology firm after she found out her new CD by country act Charley Pride contained a copy protection scheme that prevented it from being played in her PC.