stories about: "sony"
Live By IP, Die By IP: Sony PS3s Seized By EU Customs For Violating Patents
from the karma dept
We've been talking about how ridiculously aggressive Sony has been lately in enforcing its intellectual property rights concerning PS3s, so it seems like there might be a bit of karmic retribution in the fact that a shipment of PS3s has been seized in Europe as part of an ongoing legal fight with LG over patents covering parts of the PS3. I'm always amazed at how frequently companies who push for stronger and stronger enforcement of IP laws never seem to consider the consequences when those laws are directed at their own activities. While a court has just lifted the injunction, the issue is far from over. Back here in the US, the ITC is starting its own investigation into LG's claims and could issue an injunction against importing PS3s as well.Filed Under: europe, injunctions, patents, ps3
Companies: lg, sony
Hackers Claim They Can Unban Banned PS3s While Banning Unmodded PS3s
from the don't-mess-with-the-hackers dept
We recently noted that Sony had announced plans to ban any jailbroken PS3 from the PlayStation Network, because Sony apparently wants to punish people who want to put back features that Sony advertised and then removed. It appears that move may end up backfiring as well. Jay was the first of a few of you to point to a report that some hackers claim they've figured out how to unban banned PS3s and at the same time to issue bans on unmodded PS3s. There are some questions as to how accurate the report is, but if true, it would suggest another failed strategy by Sony. Will it ever realize that trying to clamp down on its own users is a bad idea?Judge Says No Anonymity For Anyone Who Visited GeoHot's PS3 Hacking Website Or Watched YouTube Video
from the dangerous-ruling dept
In what seems like a very dangerous ruling, antithetical to basic anonymity rights, a magistrate judge has ruled that Sony can unmask anyone who visited GeoHot's website where he had posted the jailbreak data or who viewed the YouTube video that demonstrated the jailbreak for the PS3 that allowed PS3 owners to bring back a feature that Sony had killed off. This seems pretty extreme. Why is it okay to identify people just because they visited a website or watched a video? As the EFF noted, these subpoenas seem extremely broad, and it's disappointing that the judge signed off on them.Filed Under: anonymity, first amendment, jailbreak, privacy, ps3, visits
Companies: sony
Sony's Neverending War Against The Freedom To Tinker And Innovate
from the learn-to-let-go dept
We recently compared Sony's lawsuit against GeoHot for adding functionality (that Sony had removed) to PS3s, to Sony's attack on Aibo hackers a decade ago. With somewhat perfect timing, Philip Torrone has now put together a full list of Sony's ongoing "war" against "makers, hackers and innovators." You can read all the details at the link, but here's the list that he's working from:- Sony DMCA delayed disclosure of Sony BMG rootkit vulnerability
- Sony threatens Aibo hobbyists for creating software that enables Sony’s Aibo robot dog to dance
- Sony sues Connectix and Bleem to block software that allows gamers to play their PlayStation games on PCs
- Sony attacks PlayStation “Mod Chips” and enforces a system of “region coding”
- Sony sued Gamemasters, distributor of the Game Enhancer peripheral device, which allowed owners of a U.S. PlayStation console to play games purchased in Japan and other countries
- Sony removes OtherOS option, removes Linux support
- Sony is suing makers, hackers, and tinkers for jailbreaking of the PS3 to play homebrew games
Filed Under: freedom to tinker, hackers, innovation, makers
Companies: sony
Sony's PS3 Lawsuit Is About Control, Not Piracy
from the can't-let-go dept
As GeoHot/George Hotz continues to fight his legal battle against Sony for daring to restore functionality to Sony PS3s that Sony had deleted, he's apparently been able to raise a bunch of money for his legal fund through donations. That's nice to see. He's also put up this amusing (and seriously NSFW) rap about the lawsuit:"Sony tried to sue a guy for getting his AIBO to do non-Sony approved tricks, making it apparent that they don’t really care about piracy, they care about control."We actually wrote about Sony's response to AIBO hacks a decade ago, and it's absolutely true. Copyright is supposed to be about incentives to create. But it's generally been twisted into a tool for control against "stuff we don't like."
Sony Continues To Attack PS3 Jailbreakers: Threatens To Cut Them Off From PlayStation Network
from the going-to-war-with-your-fans dept
It's difficult to fathom what folks at Sony's PlayStation group are thinking with their ongoing war against the jailbreaking of the PS3. People did this to replace features that Sony itself had promised -- but deleted -- and the company's response now is to go to war with its users. The latest is that the company is threatening to permanently block any jailbroken PS3 from the PlayStation Network. Yes, it's true that such jailbroken devices can also be used for unauthorized games, but Sony is simply jumping to a huge conclusion that anyone who jailbreaks a PS3 is doing that. Of course, all this is really doing is reminding a lot of people why they shouldn't by a PS3 or other Sony products in the future. Why pay for products where Sony can disable features that it promotes, and then cut you off from additional services if you try to re-enable those features. Who would ever trust that company again?Fake Sony PS3 VP Tricked Into Tweeting PS3 Security Key
from the eradication-plans-foiled dept
As Sony continues its quixotically backwards attempt to delete the PS3 jailbreak code from the world, it appears that they might want to start by informing their own ad firm not to tweet the code. As a whole bunch of you sent in, apparently a guy named Travis La Marr tweeted the PS3 security key at the Twitter account of "Kevin Butler," who describes himself as a VP at PlayStation. Of course, if you've seen any PS3 commercials, you would know that "Kevin Butler" is actually a made up person -- a character played by actor Jerry Lambert.However, the Kevin Butler account, retweeted the code, trying to make a joke out of it -- clearly not realizing this is the code that Sony is trying to eradicate from all of the internet, as well as people's brains:
Filed Under: jailbreak, kevin butler, ps3, security key
Companies: deutsch/la, sony
LG Asks US Gov't To Block Import Of All PS3s Over Patent Infringement
from the but-of-course dept
If Sony can't kill off interest in the PS3 by playing whac-a-mole with jailbreak code, perhaps it can get some assistance from the US government. It appears that LG, using the ITC loophole is asking the International Trade Commission to block the import of PS3s into the US for supposedly violating four of its patents.The patents in question:
- 7,701,835: Recording medium having data structure for managing reproduction of data streams recorded thereon and recording and reproducing methods and apparatuses
- 7,577,080: Recording medium with a linking area thereon and apparatus and methods for forming recording, and reproducing the recording medium
- 7,619,961: Read-only recording medium and reproducing method thereof
- 7,756,398: Recording medium and method and apparatus for reproducing text subtitle stream for updating palette information
Sony Demanding Identity Of Anyone Who Saw PS3 Jailbreak Video On YouTube
from the give-it-up-guys dept
Sony continues to massively overreact to the news that a hacker figured out how to "jailbreak" the PS3 in order to re-enable the functionality that Sony had deleted from PS3s. Beyond getting a far overreaching gag order on George Hotz, who figured out the jailbreak, and playing Whac-a-Mole to try to take down the code anywhere it appears, the company has now asked a judge to order Google to provide the IP addresses and other identifying info of anyone who viewed or commented on the video about the jailbreak that was hosted on a private YouTube page. The company is also promising to sue anyone who posts or distributes the code any further. Did Sony learn nothing from the AACS debacle? How long until we start seeing t-shirts, tattoos and URLs with the code? How long until it starts appearing in songs as well?Every move that Sony makes to try to hide this code only further promotes that it's out there. And all of this accomplishes what, exactly? Why is Sony so hell bent on punishing everyone for daring to restore functionality that they thought had been included in a box they had bought? And why does Sony (who really should know better) think that this strategy will be effective this time, when every single time a company has reacted this way it has backfired in a big, bad way? It's as if the lawyers at Sony haven't noticed how the internet works.
Filed Under: jailbreak, overreaction, ps3
Companies: sony
