Sony Hacker ‘Geohot’ Wants You To Pay His Legal Bills

103 responses to “Sony Hacker ‘Geohot’ Wants You To Pay His Legal Bills”

1. 

   Choc

   February 21, 2011 at 11:05 am

   The iphone case sets the precedent he needs. He will win and win easily should he actually be able to fund the case.

   The iphone jailbreak also opens that system to piracy, an unwanted side effect of course but the fact the courts ruled jailbreaking an iphone is illegal, sony has no case imo.

   Sony is showing just how much its lost its head with this case as well. Tryign to subpoena everyone on twitter and youtube who has seen/talked about the hack videos.

   Clearly they are acting before thinking in many ways on this case. They need to be seen to be doing something for the third party partners, but they will lose.

   If they weren’t or they had a strong case, how come Microsoft never sued the 360 hackers and just dealt with it via Live bans? because they know the courts side with the users.

   Reply
   1. 

      NegativeZero

      February 21, 2011 at 12:02 pm

      The DMCA exception granted to cellphones was to prevent them from being locked to a single carrier, i.e. by jailbreaking a phone, you restore interoperability.

      This isn’t the case with the PS3 and it’s definitely not a cut-and-dried case like you’re making out.

      Reply
   2. 

      Dominique

      February 21, 2011 at 12:49 pm

      “(2) Computer programs that enable wireless telephone handsets to execute software applications, where circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of enabling interoperability of such applications, when they have been lawfully obtained, with computer programs on the telephone handset.

      (3) Computer programs, in the form of firmware or software, that enable used wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telecommunications network, when circumvention is initiated by the owner of the copy of the computer program solely in order to connect to a wireless telecommunications network and access to the network is authorized by the operator of the network.”

      No mention of gaming consoles in the exception, ergo it’s still illegal under the DMCA to circumvent the TPM of gaming consoles.

      Reply
      1. 

         James

         February 21, 2011 at 1:33 pm

         The point in common is that the manufacturers are using the technological protection measure to protect against both illegal and legal actions on the part of the user.

         In the case of phones, the US copyright office decided that the blocked legal uses were reason enough to exempt them from the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA.

         If this case makes its way to court, the defence will likely claim that there are similar legal uses blocked by the PS3 protection measures, and that their circumvention is no different to that on phones, so shouldn’t be treated differently.

         Cases like this can be as much about making law as upholding it.

         Reply
      2. 

         Stephen Tucker

         February 21, 2011 at 2:19 pm

         Except, it isn’t called the Sony Playstation 3 Video Game Console, it’s called the Sony Playstation 3 Computer Entertainment System. It’s classified as a computer, not a “video game console”.

         Reply
         1. 

            Choc

            February 21, 2011 at 2:47 pm

            Which boosts his case

            name another COMPUTER that prevents you from installing what you want? even a mac doesn’t do that.

            Reply
            1. 

               weresmurf

               February 21, 2011 at 4:23 pm

               On the basest of levels one can point his defense to the fact that Sony has always upheld this is not a games console but an ‘entertainment hub’, or a ‘super computer’ as such.

               Honestly, I don’t see Sony winning this.

            2. 

               Alinos

               February 21, 2011 at 7:20 pm

               it’s got nothing to do with whether its a computer or not.

               if some kid stuck there head out and said oh look i’ve hacked Windows to the point where anything can be done on it( Ie pirate copies no security) he’d get his ass sued this is no different.

               He has every right to hack “His” console

               He has No right to Provide everyone else with a simple way to do it and then ask for what is essentially payment when he gets sued

   3. 

      Adam

      February 21, 2011 at 4:01 pm

      LOL you have no idea what you are talking about.

      Reply
   4. 

      Steve0410

      February 21, 2011 at 8:17 pm

      This has nothing to do with IOS jailbreak. What the hell.

      Reply
2. 

   NotoriousR

   February 21, 2011 at 11:05 am

   So basically, you single handedly get Linux kicked off the PS3, then rip open the OFW, unleashing the floodgates to all sorts of hackers ruining peoples games, and have the balls to ask for us to cough up for your legal bills? Whilst I don’t exactly agree with what Sony’s doing, nor do I agree with the way that the entire system’s security was torn to shreds, I’m just going to do what I do best:

   Sit in a corner, not give a crap about Pirates, Hackers or Sony and continue to play my games, watch my movies, and be on my merry way.

   Reply
   1. 

      David

      February 21, 2011 at 12:08 pm

      The entire systems security was torn to shreds when Sony used the SAME KEY for every console. It’s like demanding a password but choosing it to be “a”.

      Reply
      1. 

         Peter Richards

         February 21, 2011 at 3:17 pm

         Well not exactly, it was a very well protected and monster of a ‘password’, the PS3 remained unhacked for longer than any other system.

         Reply
         1. 

            mambodog

            February 21, 2011 at 9:45 pm

            The main reason it remained unhacked for so long is that previously, most people doing homebrew stuff had all the access they needed through ‘OtherOS’, but when Sony took that away, they decided to do something about it.

            The best guys in the homebrew scene are so much more talented and driven than the people hacking for piracy or cheating, which is why the PS3 wasn’t broken earlier.

            Reply
   2. 

      Steven Bogos

      February 21, 2011 at 7:37 pm

      Actually, the main reason that Linux was kicked off the PS3 was that companies were buying PS3’s to use as servers, IE, the US Military. This was bad for sony, as all PS3’s are sold at a loss and they make their profits on software. If a unit is used soley for linux, there is no software sales and thus no profit.

      Please do a little bit of research, this guy is just trying to bring power to the homebrewers after sony screwed them over, i would support him.

      Reply
      1. 

         Khuntza

         February 21, 2011 at 9:31 pm

         Derp.. “Please do a little bit of research”.. perhaps you should try checking your facts before talking out your ass..

         PS3 hardware has been profitable for over 6mths – http://gamepolitics.com/2010/06/29/sony-finally-making-profit-ps3-hardware

         Other OS was removed after Sony was making a profit off of the hardware.. but cool story all the same..

         Reply
3. 

   Kent Wong

   February 21, 2011 at 11:08 am

   While I have installed CFW on my PSP, I do believe that despite what George’s intentions are in openign up the PS3 system – it will, with no doubt, promote piracy.

   Case in point – Once the PS3 was hacked – torrent sites that release games started to relase games for the PS3. Co-incidence? I think not.

   And Geohot is right in that he owns the PS3, however, he doesn’t own the PS3 software. It’s like buying a computer and having windows installed on the computer already. Do you own the OS? Nope. .. you simply own the RIGHT to use the software.

   Same principal with the PS3 and the OS that it uses.

   Reply
   1. 

      The Insufferable Steengo Vasquez

      February 21, 2011 at 11:45 am

      Don’t forget that Geohot basically took failoverflow’s worked for his own means to get all the credit for publishing the private key (which failoverflow never intended to do) and basically opened this entire goddamn Pandora’s box, then runs off to Youtube to make some smack-talk video telling Sony to COME AT ME BRO and now he’s broken down and begging for donations. He’s a bloody twit.

      Reply
      1. 

         The Insufferable Steengo Vasquez

         February 21, 2011 at 11:45 am

         This was meant to be a reply to Notorious but I skrood up (much like geohot?)

         Reply
      2. 

         Cougar

         February 21, 2011 at 1:15 pm

         This man speaks the truth. At the end of the day, what he is doing supports the pirates. It’s not a ‘side effect’, it’s piracy. If you want to develop games/apps for the PS3, get the dev kit off Sony. Do it the right way, not the ‘hey, I’m smart enough to break the key’s’ way.

         Reply
   2. 

      David

      February 21, 2011 at 12:15 pm

      I don’t think he claims to own the PS3 OS. When you get windows on your computer you are well within your rights to dual boot another OS, and it’s not like Windows restricts the applications you can run on it other than giving you a minor warning.

      In fact you can pretty much do anything you want to the bits on your hard drive as long as you’re okay with the fact that you might lose everything.

      Reply
      1. 

         Kent Wong

         February 21, 2011 at 1:16 pm

         I agree with you in that they are able to change bits and pieces on the things on your hard-drive.

         But the intellectual property that you are using – you generally don’t have a right to do so.

         The main difference thoguh, is that Geohots released the Key that allows other people to hack their PS3 – Sony’s core IP.

         If something similar to MS happened, I assure you that they wouldn’t be too happy..

         Reply
      2. 

         Alinos

         February 21, 2011 at 1:20 pm

         sure you are david but your not allowed to go and crack windows and hen distribute it are you.

         and now hes essentially asking to be paid for the fact that he released it which is even worse.

         Sure it’s not a pay here crack here type deal but he should have to fight his fight on his own as he started it and he’s dragged failoverflow into it because he had to go and release the Root key something they were against because it would lead to piracy

         Reply
   3. 

      Steve0410

      February 21, 2011 at 8:20 pm

      This is my main issue with this case. I’m all for jailbreaking a console for homebrew and original features, but really.. just how many people who hacked their PS3 are part of the homebrew community? I’d put it at <10%.

      By far the most common reason people did this was to pirate games. But apparently as long as you can use the homebrew excuse and maintain plausible deniability then it's all good. Screw that.

      Reply
4. 

   Peter Richards

   February 21, 2011 at 11:08 am

   Give me a break, he knew that releasing what he did would lead to mass piracy and online cheating, which effs it up for all of us.

   He could have kept working quietly and not revelling in his fame, until he had a hack that just re-enabled linux if that was his actual beef.

   Reply
5. 

   Peter Richards

   February 21, 2011 at 11:10 am

   I do think that companies shouldn’t be allowed to dictate what you want to do with your console once you purchase it, but can’t agree with his tactics at all.

   Reply
   1. 

      Steve0410

      February 21, 2011 at 8:23 pm

      I’m pretty sure everyone who agrees to the Sony EULA when purchasing and booting their console agrees to their terms.

      After all, owning a PS3 is a privilege and a choice. If you don’t want to abide by them, it’s very easy to simply vote with your wallet.

      Reply
6. 

   bigkid

   February 21, 2011 at 11:22 am

   Hacking your own system is alright, but give keys to others to crack their own system is not.

   Reply
7. 

   Boo

   February 21, 2011 at 11:27 am

   Nope, he brought this upon himself. He provoked Sony with his activities and needs to face up to it.

   It’s also funny that from his desperate statement, he totally turned around from his failed rap insult towards Sony, claiming he is the personification of freedom of all.

   While I dispute Sony’s oppressive movement against legitimate modification, geohot deserves to incur their wrath from his bragging.

   Also, EULA’s are enforceable. If I read ANY comments saying it’s not, I will refute it with the hundreds of court cases and provisions which state they are. Stop deluding yourself when you claim theyre not, they’re enforceable hence why every single software use them.

   Reply
   1. 

      wepoo

      February 21, 2011 at 11:56 am

      EULAs are not enforceable.

      Reply
      1. 

         706-2

         February 21, 2011 at 2:23 pm

         Oh no you didn’t!

         Reply
   2. 

      David

      February 21, 2011 at 12:18 pm

      EULA’s are only enforceable in areas where they do not convene state laws. Sure you can pull cases where they were enforced. You’ll also find cases where they were found to violate the rights of citizens and were struck down. If you group cases by geography you’ll see a very strong correlation.

      Reply
8. 

   The Cracks

   February 21, 2011 at 11:28 am

   It will be interesting to see how this pans out, especially given the grumblings over here about the 3DS region locking.

   Reply
9. 

   Uncle Bob

   February 21, 2011 at 11:46 am

   I would happily contribute to Sony’s legal costs.

   This moron is responsible for screwing over thousands of peoples enjoyment.

   I think he really needs to understand that his actions can have massive consequences he simply did not fully think through.

   If you want to do cool stuff on your PS3, fine. However if you want to use this hack to rip off publishers and screw over gamers with your cheats.
   You can go to hell, you can go to hell and die!
   Beefcake, BEEFCAKE!!!!!

   Reply
10. 

    Aliasalpha

    February 21, 2011 at 11:47 am

    Don’t tell me his rap career (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iUvuaChDEg) isn’t raking in the money

    Reply
11. 

    Choc

    February 21, 2011 at 11:53 am

    Not that i am disagreeing with you lot to an extent but how many of you would NOT region break the 3DS with a hack?

    because guess what guys, this is the same thing somewhat.

    yes the ps3 is region free and thats awesome but a major reason for these hacks generally (not ps3) is to unregionalise the system.

    so for you to be against this, you have to be against unregionalising the 3DS…

    Reply
    1. 

       Aliasalpha

       February 21, 2011 at 12:39 pm

       Hang on so this is just like region free hacking a 3ds except that its not anything like it but we should support it as if it were?

       Region locking is an artificial market separation that seems to exist for the sole reason of letting companies charge a different amount in different territories. Since the PS3 hasnt GOT region locking, unlocking isn’t a factor, how is hacking a PS3 even remotely the same?

       Reply
    2. 

       Alinos

       February 21, 2011 at 1:10 pm

       But In this case thats not a defense at all. Breaking region free play is a legitimate reason if one was to play imported copies.

       and as mark wrote in his article the other day the law now states that in the process of making it region free you can’t bypass the measure that keep the console secure from piracy.

       Which means the only way an R4 Card could legitimatly work with the 3DS is if it was like the old CC cartridges on the NES in that the Card works as a bridging device between the 3DS and the Other Region Game. Where as the R4 Cards required a ripped “Backup” Copy of said region locked games. so it is still piracy just it was protected by a loophole

       Reply
       1. 

          Choc

          February 21, 2011 at 4:06 pm

          you guys need to think beyond ps3 here. This can set a MAJOR legal precedent if he loses.

          It means that people cannot hack systems that companies sell. That means even hacking them just for the purpose of unregionalising the system.

          Sony is not going after him because of the pirates, they are going after him because he compromised the system, which yes led to piracy but to say he is now responsible for all piracy on the ps3 is ridiculous.

          That’s like saying oh well i guess someone cracked the system so now i have to pirate. Geohot doesn’t pirate games, gamers pirate games just like guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Guns just happen to assist in some ways.

          You think for yourself. By saying Geohot is responsible for all the piracy in the world on ps3 is absurd, thats saying people can’t think for themselves.

          I am not a pirate, far from it, but i am worried about the precedent this case can set especially when it comes to LEGALLY hacking a console for LEGAL uses such as removing a region code.

          Reply
          1. 

             Steve0410

             February 21, 2011 at 8:28 pm

             Except it’s not. Sony’s going after him because his irresponsible actions has created an opportunity to pirate games.

             Even Apple, which is infamous for locking its ecosystem down to protect its bottom line has eased up on jailbreaking recently, precisely because they realised that for the most part, it’s fairly harmless.

             It’s a matter of money, not some Sony ideological crusade to screw over some kid for no reason, or to set an example. It’s money.

             Reply
       2. 

          James

          February 21, 2011 at 5:01 pm

          What if the system that prevented you from playing out-of-region games was the same as the one that prevented you playing pirated games? Would that mean that consumers should be forbidden from exercising their right to play games they bought overseas?

          What if the manufacturer was found to have intentionally intertwined those two features in order to limit their customer’s freedoms?

          Reply
          1. 

             Alinos

             February 21, 2011 at 7:26 pm

             to both you and choc

             http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/02/mods-vs-lockers-region-coding-and-the-legal-dilemma/

             Mark wrote that the other day and as he points out

             it essentially is under the law that it is legal to de-regionalise the console provided that in the process you do not circumvent the piracy protection

             now these days there intertwined so it’s virtually impossible to do so.

             But the law was changed in the distinct purpose of killing the precedent set with the R4 cards of being able to allow region free while aiding in piracy.

             Everything should be region free but i’m willing to bet alot of australias region locking comes down to the fact that due to australian law we must have a custom storefront as everything there needs to be rated

             Reply
12. 

    RJ

    February 21, 2011 at 11:55 am

    Although his motives may be slightly questionable, the fact of the matter remains he has done the same thing again and again. Apple left him alone yet Sony come at him for “playing an unauthorized game” and “accessing his PS3 in an unauthorized way”… come on, that’s like Dell suing you for putting Linux on your PC and playing an emulator on it.

    Piracy is a growing concern for everyone who is trying to make money from development. Target the pirates who upload to torrent sites if you want to go after someone.

    Reply
    1. 

       Alex Cullinan

       February 21, 2011 at 12:05 pm

       C’mon though, the analogy isn’t completely fair. He didn’t just use some workaround to jailbreak the PS3, he published the private key. It’s Sony’s secret recipe.

       Reply
       1. 

          Mark Serrels

          February 21, 2011 at 12:08 pm

          When I think secret recipe. I think KFC. Now I want KFC for lunch.

          Reply
          1. 

             Choc

             February 21, 2011 at 12:12 pm

             and this brings up an excellent comparison

             Many US and Australian newspapers published what is widely believed to be the coca cola recipie last week.

             The secret key to the drink…….

             so why is coke not going bananas suing people?

             Reply
             1. 

                Alex Cullinan

                February 21, 2011 at 12:19 pm

                That’s exactly what I was thinking about. My impression was that the recipe was false (or may have been true back when the recipe was first mentioned in the ’70s, I think it was), or undertaking legal action affirm its. There’s always going to be an air of doubt about something like that, where any result will be subjective – whereas the private key was easily confirmed, duplicated and has resulted in CFW that is facilitating piracy. If it was as easy to bootleg soda as it is to download a few files and install them on your PS3 using Sony’s own firmware updating tool, Coca-Cola might have been a little more outraged. 😛

             2. 

                Trjn

                February 21, 2011 at 12:32 pm

                Probably because the whole premise of the article was debunked by Snopes years ago.

             3. 

                dunk

                February 21, 2011 at 12:47 pm

                Because no one can own the rights to a recipe – this is why Coke (and KFC for that matter) always have an ingredient that is unique (think the 11 secret herbs and spices). The ingredients can be unique (and protected), but the recipe itself is not.

          2. 

             The Cracks

             February 21, 2011 at 12:15 pm

             Dammit Mark! Now I want KFC, too.

             Reply
             1. 

                Mark Serrels

                February 21, 2011 at 12:18 pm

                True story – remember that time we were all talking about how awesome Grilled was? A week later I got send an envelope with two vouchers for free burgers at Grilled.

                What the hell. I felt like Kim Kardashian. Haven’t used them yet…

             2. 

                James Mac

                February 21, 2011 at 12:39 pm

                You’d be the only one who hasn’t.

             3. 

                Braaains

                February 21, 2011 at 2:01 pm

                Are you talking about the vouchers or the Kardashians?

             4. 

                James Mac

                February 21, 2011 at 2:44 pm

                Kim

             5. 

                Chris McCulloch

                February 21, 2011 at 3:30 pm

                That’s because I game and work at Grill’d Mr Serrels, it’s how I roll.

             6. 

                The Cracks

                February 21, 2011 at 6:08 pm

                I think I might have some spare KFC coupons in the car… 😛

13. 

    Paul Stone

    February 21, 2011 at 12:01 pm

    I’ve decided I want to store my collection of loaded firearms on my front lawn. The police say I shouldn’t, but I’m still gonna.

    Later…

    Well, turns out a whole bunch of people ‘borrowed’ my guns and used them to commit crimes, and now the police are all over me. You should all give me money for my legal fees, cos despite all the trouble I caused, I have a right to store my guns on my lawn, dammit!

    Reply
14. 

    Scudsy

    February 21, 2011 at 12:10 pm

    He can try to guise what he has done and attempt to justify it all he likes, the fact of it is, he has opened it up to cheats and piracy. Does anybody else see the hilarity in appealing to this particular community to pay for his legal fees?

    Reply
    1. 

       bazuden

       February 21, 2011 at 1:34 pm

       I’ll save my cash for buying PS3 games, LOL

       Reply
15. 

    John

    February 21, 2011 at 12:44 pm

    we had the facebook movie… this is next

    Reply
16. 

    Awnshegh

    February 21, 2011 at 12:50 pm

    While I won’t disagree that this guy is a bit of a douchebag we have to be careful of the precedents that this case will set. By breaking open the hardware has broken the EULA of the software and if so he’s screwed and we’ll see hardware manufactures using it as a loophole to lock their hardware up further – effectively killing homebrew.

    It kills piracy too but could you imagine this sort of security on Kinect?

    Reply
    1. 

       Alinos

       February 21, 2011 at 7:28 pm

       difference is that kinect doesn’t enable piracy.

       and if the 360 was tied down to prevent homebrew

       first you have there XNA section

       and then you would just have people hooking it into computers instead

       Reply
17. 

    Denaz

    February 21, 2011 at 12:53 pm

    Meh, dudes getting what he deserves in my opinion. Granted I’m not very knowledgable on the subject 🙂

    Reply
18. 

    mccawsome

    February 21, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    This kid needs a Massive smack in the head. Not for hacking anything but purely for being such a self righteous dick.
    I wish this dude would just STFU about himself.

    Reply
19. 

    Charlie

    February 21, 2011 at 1:30 pm

    If not for all the trouble he’s caused. There should be some retribution for that god awful rap he released on Youtube.

    Reply
20. 

    Rappo

    February 21, 2011 at 1:41 pm

    Wow, haters are out in force…
    I hope Geohot kicks Sony’s ass, and so should all of you.
    It doesn’t matter what you think of the guy, what matters is that Sony advertised the other OS as a feature, hobbled it from day one (no access to the video controller) then forced the users to decide if they wanted to keep linux or play new games and connect to the PSN.

    If sony win this would set a BIG precedent for everyone else to do similar and kill homebrew, it may even help end the jailbreaking mobiles exemption they have in the US.
    As for the laws over-here we cannot chip systems to get around region locking unless thats ALL it does, if it can be used for piracy then it’s illegal. You have the US free trade agreement to thank for that (no doubt essentially drafted by the entertainment industry)… the problem is once this law existed they deliberately made the region locking and DRM the same part, so it is difficult (or impossible) to break one without the other, and therefore illegal to unlock the region.

    Reply
21. 

    Roddy McNeill

    February 21, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    Regarding most of the comments on this page – I find it amazing that so many people want to live in a (corporate) totalitarian regime.

    “Tell me what I can do, tell me what I cannot do; but please do not let me think or do things for myself.”

    The legal part of this discussion is all from laws lobbied from corporations; none of which are for the public (or consumers’) good.

    Reply
    1. 

       Braaains

       February 21, 2011 at 2:02 pm

       Except I’m a consumer AND a member of the “community”, and I do find preventing people pirating games or ruining online play by running hacked software good for me.

       Reply
       1. 

          Roddy McNeill

          February 21, 2011 at 2:48 pm

          I find it amazing that we need someone to protect us from cheating; it has happened since whenever and we used to be able to deal with it and move on. Now we will condone oppressive laws to help us cope.

          Pirating has never ended any industry as far as I’m aware (although it is often used as it’s scapegoat), it has conversely helped a few, like Microsoft, reach a ubiquitous state entailing lock-in. Since games were first on computers, piracy has been rife – yet the industry still manages to be here.

          It would be nice if people starting thinking for themselves instead of repeating, and propogating, corporate mantra.

          Reply
          1. 

             Braaains

             February 21, 2011 at 4:14 pm

             I find it sad that you seem to equate “thinking for themselves” with “agreeing with Roddy McNeill”.

             Reply
             1. 

                Roddy McNeill

                February 21, 2011 at 4:33 pm

                Oh dear – didn’t take long to become personal…

             2. 

                Braaains

                February 21, 2011 at 6:33 pm

                Not personal at all. Just making the point that it’s quite possible for people to think for themselves and come to a different conclusion than the one you came to.

             3. 

                Alinos

                February 21, 2011 at 7:35 pm

                the difference here is that the reason they wanted it back was for the Other OS feature

                that was reimplemented before GEOhot decided to release the rootkey because he wanted credit.

                They restored the feature but he had to take it further and that is in my opinion, where he lost all credit

                and you talk about piracy never killing an industry it doesn’t but it sure as hell hurts them. Theres a reason we get a new COD every year instead of something different and thats purely because Cod hits enough people that even if it was pirated they would make a S#$% tin of money

                But then you have something like Beyond good and evil which piracy could kill.

                And PC gets half the releases these days and many are delayed as well so they can try and convert them to a Console Purchase and then come with totalitarian DRM because of it.

                the only advantage to him winning would be that piracy would then be just as easy on any of the consoles as it is the PC and we might start to see more equality across all platforms

             4. 

                mccawsome

                February 21, 2011 at 7:43 pm

                GOD DAMMIT BRAAAINS THINK FOR YOURSELF AND REPEAT WHAT I SAY!!!!

             5. 

                Rappo

                February 22, 2011 at 9:33 am

                I find you handle vaguely ironic….
                By your stance here I would expect you are against the R4 chips, CFW for the PSP and Wii, any type of mod chip, DVD de-regioning codes, DVD burners, CD burners, MP3, any software that would allow CD or DVD ripping, Tape recorders, and the photocopier, as any of these can be used for piracy. Of course they also have legitimate uses, but you fully aggree with the FUD big content shovel and think it should all be banned, right?

          2. 

             Paul Stone

             February 21, 2011 at 6:59 pm

             Supporting Homebrew is one thing. Single-handedly enabling users worldwide to play pirated games is quite another.

             People these days, geeks in particular, often have a remarkable sense of entitlement about this sort of thing. You buy the console on the proviso that you play by Sony’s rules. If you don’t want to, don’t buy the console. Making out like you’re some kind of gallant freedom fighter, bravely taking on the villainous suits at Sony just makes you look like a child.

             Reply
          3. 

             mccawsome

             February 21, 2011 at 7:51 pm

             Criminals haven’t ended society in general either but that doesn’t mean that they are OK or contribute anything to said society.

             Gaming these days is largely built on an online community and from my experience the online PS3 “community” is rife with cheaters since Geohots little public service and they are ruining the experience for everyone else.

             You can call be a corporate shill for saying this but IMO a lot of it can be laid at his feet. Sure, he might not be the criminal… he just handed the prison keys out to all the cons and then proclaimed its not his fault they broke out.

             Reply
          4. 

             Steve0410

             February 21, 2011 at 8:53 pm

             “Pirating has never ended any industry as far as I’m aware (although it is often used as it’s scapegoat)”

             Oh God it just keeps coming.

             http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2011/02/500x_deathofmusicindustry.jpg

             Pirating cannot outright kill an industry (for obvious reasons) but it can easily bleed one dry. It’s happening right now with games. The current market has changed to a handful of critic-proof blockbuster franchises like CoD that will make a billion dollars, while smaller titles will become increasingly marginalised.

             The PSP’s now essentially a dead platform outside of Japan due to piracy, developers are now focusing on consoles before PCs because of piracy, Nintendo’s recent stricter policies are a result of rampant R4 DS piracy.

             Yeah, IT LOOKS LIKE PIRACY’S JUST A SCAPEGOAT EH BOYS?

             Reply
    2. 

       Steve0410

       February 21, 2011 at 8:47 pm

       This is impossibly naive. This isn’t even analogous to a ‘totalitarian regime.’ Sony’s not forcing people to buy their console, the PS3 is a choice and by buying it and agreeing to their EULA, you agree to follow their rules.

       You don’t have to be pro-1984 to disagree with him. It’s not a black/white case of The Man vs the people. For every case like this, there are consequences. He irresponsibly allowed people to pirate games and is now claiming plausible deniability.

       But what about the studios and developers gutted via piracy every quarter that he (indirectlY) contributed to? He’s an irresponsible kid who didn’t think of these consequences, is in way over his head and is making himself out to be the Julian Assange of gaming.

       I do take issue with you stating that anyone who disagrees with Geohotz is pro-totalitarian/corporate regime. I’m as liberal and supportive of individual/consumer rights as anyone else. I shun Apple’s ecosystem precisely because of its walled garden, promote cottage industries and would be the first to speak out against anti-competition etc. But even I recognise that at the end of the day, developers need to be paid just like everyone else. You can’t just naively open the floodgates and merely hope that people won’t abuse it.

       Reply
22. 

    Woosty

    February 21, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    *Quietly chuckles to himself as he sees this article juxtaposed with advertisements for the PS3 and PSN*

    I wonder if kotaku has any vested interests in this story… 😛

    Reply
23. 

    Choc

    February 21, 2011 at 3:20 pm

    this seems pretty apt to this chat

    http://www.destructoid.com/the-jimquisition-pirates-admit-you-re-f-cking-thieves-193721.phtml

    Reply
24. 

    Adam Ruch

    February 21, 2011 at 3:32 pm

    I really think people need to take a step backwards from this and think for a while. If we were to introduce forcible restrictions onto every technology or device that could potentially be used to commit a crime, despite the other legal uses that device could be put, we would live in a really ass-backward place.

    Cars can be used to kill people or to assist in bank robberies. Should we therefore ban all cars on the roads?

    All technologies/devices have positive and negative uses. There is no inherent right or wrong to the device, all of it is a culturally produced ethical decision. The problem here is that we are letting a corporation decide our ethics for us, and corporations are sociopathic. They want to destroy their peers and essentially use us to gather funds, like farm animals. Of course, we all benefit greatly from the consumer society we live in, so its not like I’m a hippie on the lawn trying to bring down the man, however there must be a force resisting the utterly single-minded drive of the corporation. Without it, we get the kind of monstrous disasters that range from the Wall Street crash that caused the GFC through to individual torrent users being sued/billed for millions of dollars.

    Allowing corporations rewrite our human rights with their EULAs is simply not acceptable. They do not have our best interests in mind. Again I’m not saying we should abolish private property or IP rights, but we also shouldn’t abolish the people’s right to challenge what they’re being told is ‘ethically right’ and therefore law.

    Reply
    1. 

       Braaains

       February 21, 2011 at 4:10 pm

       “Cars can be used to kill people or to assist in bank robberies. Should we therefore ban all cars on the roads?”

       What a silly statement. Nobody is advocating removing consoles from store shelves, just preventing people from modifying them in ways that will spoil other peoples’ right to use and enjoy them in the way they were intended. And you know what? We do exactly the same thing with cars – there are modifications to cars that are illegal because they pose a potential threat to their drivers, passengers or other road users.

       “Allowing corporations rewrite our human rights with their EULAs is simply not acceptable”

       I have to admit that it’s been a while since I read the relevant UN charters, but I’m pretty sure there’s no declaration of universal human rights that specifies a right to run homebrew on consoles.

       Reply
       1. 

          Not a sony employee

          February 21, 2011 at 4:49 pm

          It would not take that great a stretch to imagine Sony employing a person, perhaps a few dollars a day, to sit down, and post negative comments alluding that the hacker is at fault, and that this one person is responsible for all the cracks currently in circulation.

          I just purchased a loaf of bread; if Sony win the case, there is precedent for the shopkeeper to charge me for eating it with ham and cheese assuming said shopkeeper is a vengeful, lactose intolerant vegan.

          Reply
       2. 

          Kris

          February 21, 2011 at 4:54 pm

          Yeah, I’m sorry but you are off the mark here, but most ‘dangerous modifications!’ you see on today tonight etc are an absolute crock, sure some stuff really is dangerous, but a lot isn’t so much. What those shows and the cops take part in is victimization, when what they should be doing is stopping drink driving, and making sure all the 14 million 1973 corollas have had brakes and tires changed within the last 30 years, which is a lot more dangerous.

          Adam is on the money, hey the internet can be used for piracy, lets get rid of that too!

          Reply
          1. 

             Charlie

             February 21, 2011 at 10:04 pm

             So cops who pledge to protect society are the bad guys, and people who apply unlawful modifications to their vehicles are the victims. Classic.

             Back on topic.
             I have a question, when OtherOS was still around, what was geohotz motivation for cracking it?

             I mean, it was geohotz who forced sony’s hand into removing the OtherOS feature; shouldn’t we homebrew advocates be angry at him? I mean, what couldn’t you do with Linux. What was his motivations for hacking a great feature and then having the nerve to release it. I’m hard pressed to think of reasons apart from being a dick or supporting piracy.

             Reply
             1. 

                Rappo

                February 22, 2011 at 1:48 pm

                He wasn’t really (as I understood it)… there was a big push on, because even after advertising the Other-OS feature, Sony hamstrung it by using the hypervisor to prevent access to the graphics accelerator, to enable 3D acceleration and Sony didn’t like it. It ~may~ have led to piracy, but more likely it would just have led to better use of the PS3 as a computer. Sony were losing money on the PS3 hardware and wanted to sell games to make a profit, if people started to play homebrew and linux games instead of buying PS3 software Sony would continue to lose money, so they pulled the feature. (Sony’s reasoning is just my best guess… it could just have been Sony being dicks.)

25. 

    moloko

    February 21, 2011 at 4:32 pm

    Sony ripped Linux support off so it’s a console

    Reply
    1. 

       Filip Maslovaric

       February 21, 2011 at 9:16 pm

       The United States Airforce uses the Playstation 3 in an array configuration as a super-computer.

       Computer: 1
       Console: 0

       Reply
26. 

    Not a sony employee

    February 21, 2011 at 5:11 pm

    “I just purchased a loaf of bread; if Sony win the case, there is precedent for the shopkeeper to charge me for eating it with ham and cheese assuming said shopkeeper is a vengeful, lactose intolerant vegan.”

    There are great freedoms at stake in this debate.

    Reply
27. 

    Kris

    February 21, 2011 at 5:12 pm

    Look, it’s crap like this, and people defending it, that DRM is such an intrusive bloated pig, and such a blight on PC games.

    Reply
    1. 

       Jim Smith

       February 21, 2011 at 6:49 pm

       Exactly

       Reply
28. 

    Michael Longford

    February 21, 2011 at 5:21 pm

    so I read through about all the post on this page I started off with the guy then against him and now I couldn’t really give a pair, but somehow I feel that if he’d just kept is ugly mug off of youtube this whole thing could have been avoided. oh and he’s a wannabe Wigga and I HATE Wigga’s!

    Reply
    1. 

       nightFlarer

       February 21, 2011 at 7:29 pm

       Wannabe Wigga? Does that make him a WWigga

       Reply
29. 

    Jim Smith

    February 21, 2011 at 6:44 pm

    This case is another example of the law not keeping up with technology. Sony will have difficulty arguing the case because of the inadequacy of the law.

    I don’t support him whatsoever. All this crap about homebrew and not supporting piracy is bunk. As if he didn’t intend pirate software to be played on the PS3? He thinks we’re all kids.

    Reply
30. 

    ODEED

    February 21, 2011 at 7:20 pm

    I’ll donate $100 if I get to smack him in the head!

    Reply
31. 

    OptimusHippo

    February 21, 2011 at 8:52 pm

    I wonder what would happen if people just followed the agreement (EULA) they make with corporations (Sony) rather than inventing their own agreement (hacking). There’s always the option of not buying it in the first place.

    Reply
32. 

    Eggy

    February 21, 2011 at 10:40 pm

    How can you guys actually think “Uhhh this guy did something that enabled piracy, even though many people were already involved in piracy, and then a few times i have had hacker sin my COD games, so lets root for Sony to set the precedent we dont own what we own, and corporations control what we do with devices that we own.” Seriously isn’t that the most ridiculous argument you have ever heard? If i buy a car, i expect to be only held responsible by first my ethics, and second the law. No middle man. Toyota cant sue me for putting in a new exhaust pipe. If its against the law then sure. But making that the law is just silly. I cant believe people actually think like this. And tell me once again who pirating PS3 games hurts. Yeah, I said PS3 games, so you cant use buzzword indie and say its hurting them. Sony are huge, they have lied and taken away features, bricked consoles, and generally have been sneaky about the PS3 as a whole. And dont forget sharing DLC with friends. Should Sony sue themselves for circumventing anti-piracy software? YOUR arguments are childish, and you lack the vision to see the bigger picture here.

    Reply
    1. 

       djmcbell

       February 22, 2011 at 6:37 pm

       But he has done something that has enabled piracy. Whether or not he’s the first is irrelevant.

       And piracy is bad for the games industry. It means that loads and loads of people are going to be playing games they didn’t pay for, meaning developers are going to go home with less profits. Considering most developers barely make ends meet as it is, that’s bad. If piracy becomes widespread on the PS3, expect a lot of developers to stop developing for it.

       Yes, some people will pirate a game and, if they like it, go and pay for it. But everyone knows this will be less than 5% of the total amount of people who pirate a game.

       However, people should be allowed to do whatever they like with their hardware, and I agree with this to an extent. If I want to develop stuff like I have with the DS (using a GBA flash cart and a pass-thru device, which I haven’t used for piracy) or for the 360 (using XNA) then I should be able to. People should not be able to pirate whatever they like though, which can only detrimentally affect the industry.

       Reply
33. 

    Russell Leung

    February 22, 2011 at 12:33 am

    Lets look at piracy;

    Piracy on the NDS screwed over everybody in the long run. Developers pulled out of the NDS after a while because of the R4 card. You CAN homebrew because of this.
    But the main use for the R4 card probably 99.9% of the time is for piracy. Come on, you know it’s true. You MIGHT buy a couple of games which have safeguards against it, or which lose functionality if they’ve been pirated, but the R4 is essentially a pirate’s tool.

    While the exploit MAY have been INTENDED for homebrewers… Come on, seriously? You release an exploit for an expensive and popular games console, and you expect that it will NOT be used for piracy? You open the door for piracy, and developers will start pulling out, just like the DS and the R4 card- only this time, you have it on a console where developers already struggle to utilise the console hardware to make a decent game in the first place…

    But the guy will get off. The ps3 will be hacked to within an inch of it’s life, Sony will release update after update as well as take up Microsoft’s lead and ban psn access, and sales in games will plummet thanks to cheapass gamers being too stingy to buy legitimate games. (yes, I know, Australia is paying too much already, but here’s a wakeup call- IF YOU CANT AFFORD THE PRICES OF PS3 GAMES, YOU SHOULDNT HAVE GOTTEN A PS3 IN THE FIRST PLACE)

    Reply
34. 

    kizaru

    February 22, 2011 at 3:04 am

    This is like the time when Miles Dyson was like,
    “I didn’t know THAT would happen! Shi~eet, that ain’t my fault!”

    And the Terminator was like,
    “YOU MUST STOP.”

    And he was like,
    “Aight, my brother, from a mechanical mother, I’ll stop.”

    And the Terminator was like,
    “NO ONE MUST FOLLOW YOUR WORK.”

    And instead of asking for donations and making rap videos, Dyson sacrificed his life to make sure Skynet could never be used for piracy. He did all that, and more…

    …WITH JUST ONE ARM.

    Reply
35. 

    Jason Hammond

    February 27, 2011 at 6:32 pm

    I used a PPC version of Linux on my PS3 from day one.

    I also used the PSN store and purchased many games for the console that happily moved between my computer desk to my Plasma TV.

    Why? Because I am a Gamer and I Study IT. Having an extra PC was great when testing things. I would have loved to have used all the hardware power of the PS3 but didn’t really mind that my hardware was locked by Sony. It was a good way of having a spare computer to do some tasks.

    A day came when I had to say goodbye to my Linux / Spare computer why? Because Sony removed the feature. To keep making purchases I had to give up my Linux partition and at the same time buy another not so powerful computer to complete my projects.

    Unfortunately Sony burned it’s bridges, I have now got an Xbox360 for games, the PS3 sits in the corner collecting dust, I don’t even use it to play games on it any more and rarely I use it for watching a Blu-ray. If I knew how much trouble it was losing my Other OS I would have given up on updating the console for gaming.

    Has Sony ever comprehended how much money it has lost from users like me and a few of my friends world wide? More and more friends of mine are turning away from Sony! We simply can’t trust that if we go out and get a NGP will they disable features that we paid for?

    Since the removal of Other OS I have not purchased one Playstation Product.

    I applaud people like Geohot who want to give back people what they paid for. I really don’t think he did this to win the hearts of pirates. Piracy harms the industry. Developers won’t touch the PSP any more because of piracy, and since the development of the R4 cart for Nintendo DS the same has happened with them.

    I know you’re upset Sony, but is this the public image you want? It’s okay for you to take something away, but when some one wants to give it back to you, you sue them. If I take back something you took from me we get banned and lose all our DLC and online play rights…

    I really don’t care any more, ban me for hacking my PS3, because when it comes down to it, I don’t play that way.

    Reply
36. 

    Paul Mayo

    April 25, 2011 at 6:50 pm

    Simple solution. Build your own console and release it with the ability for “purchasers” to play with its insides. Within a week, the name of the console will be changed, your original creation would be obsolete and someone else who could do better work than you would be making money with what you first started.

    Reply