Hack and slash
Sony Computer Entertainment America has filed a lawsuit against a group of hackers it alleges have hacked the PlayStation 3 in order to circumvent its ‘protection measures' and subsequently ‘trafficked' the ability to do so.
The chief defendant in the suit is George Hotz, otherwise known as Geohot, who became famous for his iPhone and iPod hacking exploits. But there are several others, many of which Sony hasn't specified a name for, but who all apparently collaborated in a group called fail0verflow. You can see the full lawsuit document below.
Speaking to the BBC, Hotz said: "I would expect a company that prides itself on intellectual property to be well versed in the provisions of the law, so I am disappointed in Sony's current action. I have spoken with legal counsel and I feel comfortable that Sony's action against me doesn't have any basis."
It seems Hotz and the group got hold of secret codes that identify software as legitimate to the PS3. These, in theory, could then be attached to pirated software and games, allowing them to run on the system.
According to the Guardian, the group's defence will probably centre on the precedent of ‘fair use' established last year. In other words, this is just good, old-fashioned jail-breaking, and thus OK. Sony seems to want to re-establish precedent by making jail-breaking of its PS3 software illegal.
Home page photo courtesy of artwork_rebel via flickr
