PS3 Mod Chip Banned in Australia

[Logan Westbrook]

PS3 Mod Chip Banned in Australia

Sony is victorious in its first legal battle over the new USB PS3 mod chip.

You can say this for the Australian legal system: It can move fast when it wants to. Just a week after Sony was awarded a temporary injunction [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/103070-Sony-Heads-to-Australian-Courts-Over-PS3-Modchips] against Australian distributors of the PSJailbreak [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/102890-Rumor-Hackers-Crack-PS3-Copy-Protection] - a USB mod chip that allowed the use of homebrew and pirated software on the PS3 - the federal court has ruled in the company's favor and made the injunction permanent.

The defendants - OzModChips, Global Solutions International, Ryan Emmanuel and Ken Tolcher - have been banned from importing, distributing, promoting or selling the PSJailbreak and must surrender any stock they currently hold, as well as any they receive in the future, to a third party acting on Sony's behalf. In addition, the group will be required to pay Sony an unspecified amount of compensation as well as covering the legal costs.

The ruling isn't all that surprising, as the Australian courts seem very sympathetic to platform holders, having awarded [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98409-Nintendo-Wins-R4-Lawsuit-in-Australia] Nintendo a similar victory earlier in the year. Sony has also started legal proceedings against a US distributor of the PSJailbreak, so we'll have and wait and see if it can repeat its success elsewhere.

Source: MCV [http://www.mcvuk.com/news/40733/PSJailbreak-banned-in-Australia]


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[GiantRedButton]

Well getting something banned in australia isn't that big of an issue especially if its videogame related.

 

[Deofuta]

Is this the chip that only allows homebrew media? If so, I am dissapointed. However, if it was the chip that allowed pirated games as well, then I understand the measure.

 

[Autofaux]

Because pirates care about breaking two laws instead of one?

Because pirates aren't millionaires and piracy is the same as theft which means courts will make offenders pay through the nose. Remember, a rapist will get 2 years in prison, but someone who embezzles money will get 10. Such is the irony of our justice system..

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Is this the chip that only allows homebrew media? If so, I am dissapointed. However, if it was the chip that allowed pirated games as well, then I understand the measure.

Typically those that support one supports the other.

It should be interesting for the US side though. Our current administration is actively opposed to piracy, even to the point of selling out citizen rights. Yet they still allowed iPhones to be legally jailbroken.

 

[Jezzascmezza]

Just goes to show us Aussies don't screw around when it comes to video games...

 

[Deofuta]

Actually there was a news article that spoke of a chip being released with the pirate software option diabled, let me find a link for you...

EDIT: Here it is, http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/103169-Modders-Release-Open-Source-PS3-Hack

Not a chip, so I apologize. But it is a similiar topic I suppose.

 

[Twilight_guy]

It's nice to see Australia banning a (mostly) pirating technology but I doubt if it will stop anything. Pirates break the law all the time with other activates and don't much care but at least its a black market chip now and Australia sent a firm message.

 

[Fensfield]

Goodo.

Still it was nice to see them release a 'homebrew only' - seriously how does that work? - version of the software for those who want to make them themselves.

If it can stay homebrew, that is.. I guess it'll only be a matter of time before some nit works out how to use it to pirate stuff again.

 

[Jimmybobjr]

*Cough*

Uhm.
It SHOULD be banned- its ILLEGAL.
Is this a really big shocker? I mean, illegal software being banned?
Derp.

 

[TehIrishSoap]

They Might Be Scared A Dingo Will Steal Their Baby LOL
STEROTYPING FTW!

 

[Asehujiko]

It's nice to see Australia banning a (mostly) pirating technology but I doubt if it will stop anything. Pirates break the law all the time with other activates and don't much care but at least its a black market chip now and Australia sent a firm message.

Message being: "lawsuits: richest side wins"?
They're banning rewritable USB sticks because of what's on them or used to be on them. Do you really want them to press forward and ban ALL usb storage media because it can be used to pirate like how Nintendo is completely fucking up the SD card market in the name of piracy reduction?

 

[Twilight_guy]

It's nice to see Australia banning a (mostly) pirating technology but I doubt if it will stop anything. Pirates break the law all the time with other activates and don't much care but at least its a black market chip now and Australia sent a firm message.

Message being: "lawsuits: richest side wins"?
They're banning rewritable USB sticks because of what's on them or used to be on them. Do you really want them to press forward and ban ALL usb storage media because it can be used to pirate like how Nintendo is completely fucking up the SD card market in the name of piracy reduction?

Your argument is a slippy slop fallacy. If they ban this then they'll ban something else and something else and soon western society crumbles.

 

[Shawn112]

Laws are written by the powerful for the powerful.

 

[Shnoogle]

Pity the "cat is out of the bag". BBC News [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11176441] have reported that in an effort to circumvent the lawsuits (one was apparently made in the Netherlands too), some hackers have released the software on the internet for free for PSGroove, which was the software that did not allow pirated copies to be used.... BUT, the version in the wild has been modified to allow pirated copies to now work.

 

[NuclearPenguin]

there isn't really an excuse to pirate console games. You can rent them ffs. PC users don't get that luxury.

Except, you know, those places that you can't rent games. Like here.