Skip to main content

Judge rules PS3 hacker must hand over hard drive to Sony

A federal judge has ruled that famed Playstation 3 hacker George “GeoHot” Hotz must turn over the tools of his trade and allow Sony to sift through his computer’s hard drive, according to Wired.

Hotz’ attorney, Stewart Kellar, objected to the ruling on the grounds that complying meant that Sony would be able to “observe” all of his client’s files.

Related Videos

“That’s the breaks,” said U.S. district judge Susan Illston. Illston had originally ruled that Hotz had to turn over his computer gear last month, but Kellar had asked the court for reconsideration.

“Here, I find probable cause that your client has got these things on his computer,” Illston said, according to Wired. “It’s a problem when more than one thing is kept on the computer. I’ll make sure the order is and will be that Sony is only entitled to isolate … the information on the computer that relates to the hacking of the PlayStation.”

Sony’s lawsuit comes after Hotz posted the PS3 jailbreak codes on his website, accompanied by a “how to” video on YouTube. The lawsuit accuses Hotz, and other hackers, of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) on the grounds that the PS3 hack circumnavigates copyright protections.

The hackers have claimed that their work was aimed at making the PS3 “able to run Linux with dual-boot into GameOS, without 3D restrictions, on every PS3 currently out there.” The PS3 originally was able to run Linux, but Sony removed that feature with a firmware upgrade last summer.

Even though Sony has threatened to sue anyone who posts the code, earlier this week, Sony did exactly that when it accidentally retweeted the jailbreak code after mistaking it for a Battleship reference.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Plex is now available for the PS4 and PS3 in the U.S.
plex-ps4

Released earlier today for the Sony PlayStation 4 as well as the previous generation PlayStation 3, media streaming company Plex has launched support for the application in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America. Prior to this point, the application was available in Europe and Asia on the two consoles as of late December 2014.

According to the official Plex blog, the U.S. version of the application is identical to the overseas version and is currently available on the PlayStation application store. It's also identical to the Xbox One version of the application which uses a vertical scrolling layout when users are perusing accessible content. Content can be streamed in 720p, 1080i and 1080p resolution, depending on the source file.

Read more
Now you can rent games on PS3 with PlayStation Now’s expanded open beta
playstation now open beta arrives ps3

PlayStation Now, Sony's game streaming service that has been available on PlayStation 4 and select Bravia televisions since July 2014, is now up and running on PlayStation 3 as well. The library of over 150 titles and growing has now been integrated into the PlayStation Store.

The service offers a range of rental periods, depending on the title, but generally you can rent a game for a week at roughly $1 per day. The latest titles to be added to the ever-expanding roster are God of War: Ascension, inFamous, and Ultra Street Fighter IV. 

Read more
PlayStation Sports Pack offers MLB 14: The Show on PS3, with NBA 2K14 for half price
buy mlb 14 show ps3 get nba 2k14 half price mlb14theshow ps4 molina

On April 1, sports games fans who own a PlayStation 3 will have the chance to pick up two of the biggest sports games on the market for the price of … well, two slightly discounted games.
The recently announced “PlayStation Sports Pack Vol. 1” will include MLB 14: The Show, along with NBA 2K14. Both games will be included in the same package, retail for $89.99, and debut on the PS3 on April 1. The bundle will also include $10 worth on in-game currency, including “6000 STUBS for MLB 14 The Show and 20,000 Virtual Currency for NBA 2K14.”
NBA 2K14 has been available on multiple systems since October 4, 2013 (and as a launch title for both next-gen systems). The April 1 release date will coincide with the release of MLB 14: The Show on PS3 and PS Vita. If you plan to picking that game up and have any interest in NBA 2K14, it will cost you just $30 extra.
As for a similar next-gen bundle, there's no word yet. The PlayStation 4 version of MLB 14: The Show won’t be out until May 6, so if there is a similar next-gen bundle coming, it won’t be released until then, at the earliest.

Read more