Sony Legally Threatens German PS3 Hackers

[HellspawnCandy]

Sony is just getting really tyrannical lately. I'm pretty tired of seeing all this piracy hate, people like messing with their equipment, making it personal or what have you, yeah I'm sure it was a stupid idea to try and make money off the tool but you can't get mad at them for hacking, I'd be more worried about this document people had to sign, hefty fines and being sued by a major corporation would probably be the worst thing ever. Oh humanity, be nice to one another.

 

[Mysnomer]

This thread, oh gawd it makes me sick. I'm reading through and it's like sifting through trash and sewage to find a few morsels of intellectual thought. Ugh, "all hackers are bad"? Is this seriously what most people think? Do they not realize that opening the console up so that potentially anyone can make something for it is an amazing opportunity?

The claim that these can only be used for piracy is dubious. They may be streamlined for piracy, but by enabling piracy, you're going through the same process as a general hack, so it can potentially be used for homebrew and the like. Regardless, it's still threatening someone with legal action for a crime they have yet to commit, and I can't abide by that.

 

[angleitaway]

This thread, oh gawd it makes me sick. I'm reading through and it's like sifting through trash and sewage to find a few morsels of intellectual thought. [snip]

Thanks for that post, I was going to make a very lengthy post showing all the horrible logic and arguments people used in this topic. However, you summed it up quite well so I don't have to make a big wall of text.

That being said, people in this thread claimed there is no homebrew. I'm here to prove you wrong. There has been development in homebrew games and software. Two homebrew games only demonstrate that it's possible. There is a pong clone and I believe an arkanoid clone for the PS3. Not super great like a modern game, but like in scientific advances, it is a small step of many before hitting the big discovery or advance.

As for software, there have been efforts to bring back OtherOS with some success, and I think that will lead to actually using the entire system capabilities instead of what Sony had before where you could only use a small little bit.

 

[shaboinkin]

I love how most of you assume that all hackers are malicious bastards with a twirly mustache.

I guess they fail to realize that some hackers help make their operating systems, web browsers, and anything else that connects to the internet, safer for them by finding exploits in the programs and telling the companies that there is a problem with their code that needs to be fixed.

 

[bridgerbot]

Until Sony gives us back Linux, I'm in favor of the hackers.

( and no, I never did anything illegal with my Linux, I'm just pissed they took it, *excuse me*, extorted me for it ).

 

[Hashime]

Why buy one when it costs $30 to make one? Plus sony has no way to sue your @$$.

 

[Antari]

Well Sony, its been a slice. I hope you can make money off whoever still buys your products.

 

[nipsen]

See what I did there?

Not really, no. You make it out as if this was some sort of inevitable event, since any system is not possible to defend against hacking.

While this is a philosophically sound point of view - it is also perfectly logical to proclaim that "one day man will travel to Alpha Centauri". But it doesn't mean it's going to be easy, possible to realize with some tin-foil and a cup of gasoline - or that it's technically doable within our lifetime.

That's how it was with the ps3. The ps3 didn't have "inevitable holes" like the ones we're used to see in various different systems, you see. And the "hack" wouldn't exist without the leaked root-keys.

So suing people like this is a bit like a business-man suing whores for himself not being able to keep it in his pants.

But sure, he can do that. And with some tortured logic, he might even be able to get away with it without being made a laughingstock. But it doesn't make him less of a sniveling little dirtbag, now does it.

edit: ..also, does anyone think this is actually going to work? It's in the public domain, you know. Only idiots are actually going to pay for an USB stick like that.

Seriously - if Sony declared all USB sticks illegal, and wanted restitution for all USB sticks in use, some of you people would defend that as well.

editer: ..and the banning isn't very consistent, by the way. As usual, Sony doesn't have an clue about how to handle these things. They only know about giving their shareholders an "impression" of being on top of it. Of course - they're not. Hence, litigation. Epic fail.

 

[katsabas]

These guys make people like me (as in, the legitimate buyers of games)look like chumps. They got what was coming to them. I have no respect for people that do not respect the effort that is being put to make a game unique, intuitive and fun. I say, smack'em like octopi.

 

[katsabas]

Fucking Christ, did I just come to The Escapist or a god damned veal plant? The uninformed and continual bleating of "Piracy and Hackers are all bad" is as ignorant as it is untrue.

Do you morons really want these companies able to tell you what you can and can't use on a piece of hardware you legally bought and paid for? These companies want complete and total control over every little aspect and the vast majority of people in this thread seem perfectly content to let these companies do whatever the hell they want as long as they say it's in the name of stopping "piracy".

Please I challenge anyone to tell me what any of these people did wrong. They ordered a USB dongle, that's all. Last I checked that wasn't illegal in most civilized countries.

So now Sony is allowed to tell us what sort of hardware peripherals we are allowed to use? Great! I can't wait until Sony starts suing you brain dead automatons for using third party controllers or maybe they don't like the wires your using to hook up your PS3 because they aren't Sony approved. Well time to sign a paper saying you won't step out of line again. This is the kind of control you want to just hand over?

It's great that the vast majority here are happy to be plunger raped as long as it's in the name of combating the evil pirates. I mean hell Sony HAS to have our best interests at heart after all so we should just bend over and take it til they grow tired I guess. Be honest are you people mentally deficient or just spineless?

Place yourself in Sony's shoes, little pumpkin. Nobody here defended Sony. We just like it when justice is served. Why should I pay for games while others can pay, whatever that thing costs and play free games for life? What, you like people calling you idiot for not doing something illegitimate? And hey, if you do not like the website, the close button is at the upper right corner, click and ta-daaaa! You never have to see us write ever again. Easy right? Just like getting stuff for free. But I guess you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?

 

[Balimaar]

So what about those people who wanted to back up their games?

Once a game is out of warranty there isnt much you can do about your damaged disc except maybe chucking it around as a frisbee.

 

[Xanthious]

Place yourself in Sony's shoes, little pumpkin. Nobody here defended Sony. We just like it when justice is served. Why should I pay for games while others can pay, whatever that thing costs and play free games for life? What, you like people calling you idiot for not doing something illegitimate? And hey, if you do not like the website, the close button is at the upper right corner, click and ta-daaaa! You never have to see us write ever again. Easy right? Just like getting stuff for free. But I guess you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?

Explain to me again what any of these people did wrong. Is buying a USB dongle illegal? Sony isn't targeting them for piracy, oh no they are targeting them for buying a USB device. If you can't see what a slippery slope that is then I simply don't know what to say.

 

[DrunkWithPower]

The only hackers I'm concerned with is the ones that like to tinker fuck with what I come into contact with in a negative way. The ones that do offline stuff or alter something in a good way for everyone's sake I don't care about. But it's hard to tell who will be malicious or not. That's my take to it.

 

[katsabas]

Explain to me again what any of these people did wrong. Is buying a USB dongle illegal? Sony isn't targeting them for piracy, oh no they are targeting them for buying a USB device. If you can't see what a slippery slope that is then I simply don't know what to say.

A USB device that can get them free PS3 games. How is that not 'targeting them for piracy'? The fucking gadget is called PSbreak. How much more 'in your face' can you get?

 

[Something Amyss]

Do you morons really want these companies able to tell you what you can and can't use on a piece of hardware you legally bought and paid for? These companies want complete and total control over every little aspect and the vast majority of people in this thread seem perfectly content to let these companies do whatever the hell they want as long as they say it's in the name of stopping "piracy".

I, for one, hate it when I can't use my purchases the way I want. Why, just last week I used a lock pick I bought PERFECTLY LEGALLY to get into someone's home, and those lousy cops told me that it was "illegal."

How lame is that?

Honestly, if you object, don't buy the games. Don't buy the systems. Breaking the law just makes you look like the bad guy in things. If you mod or deal with mods or other methods of altering protected intellectual properties, you also encourage them to believe their properties are more valuable.

So what about those people who wanted to back up their games?

Once a game is out of warranty there isnt much you can do about your damaged disc except maybe chucking it around as a frisbee.

True though that may be, "Fair Use" is not deemed to trump the WIPO treaty. That's the deal that the DMCA codified in the USA, but was signed by a ton of industrial nations.

"I want to back up my game" is no longer a viable defense. Hasn't been for over a decade now. Sorry.

 

[Warnolo]

wont be the best solution if people want to mess with their games or want to make homebrew to give them the tools? Not just using the Banhammer or the Lawhammer?

 

[Daymo]

I....third?....this. I can't stand hackers, nor pirates (and doesn't it break the system so you can play pirated games?).

The are various reasons to jailbreak your system, like removing region locks, the absolute worst thing console developers ever implemented. Everyone who "hacks" his system for that purpose only has my full support.
But let's face it, for most people it's just to play pirated games.

Also the PS3 doesn't have region locks as standard. This can really only be used for priating stuff or for getting the other os back. I'm guessing that the priates would far out weigh anybody else using this though.

 

[Modus Operandi]

BTW, the device is general purpose jailbreak, not piracy-only. They only advertise it like that and bundle with the backup manager for wider appeal (everyone knows what "backing up a game to a hard drive" means, but a lot of people are very unclear on what "homebrew" is). The PS3 homebrew scene is boiling right now, with an FTP server, a SNES emulator and an open-source SDK already available and a new Linux version and other things in the works. And it's only been two months since it all started.

The funny thing is that the content of the commercial USB has been reverse-engineered and open-sourced almost since day one. You can now jailbreak your PS3 for free, with the use of an iPhone or an Android phone, and if you're the soldering tech-type, you can even do it with your goddamn PS3 controller. Not to mention programmable circuit boards or certain models of scientific calculators.

Fighting this thing on the legal front, Sony had already lost before the Australian court ever came to a decision. All they can do is keep the pirates, the hackers and the homebrewers off PSN with firmware updates, everything else is just chasing a few ignorant strays.

 

[Corpse XxX]

What the hell isthe difference between the person who manufacters and break for the PS3 and someone who uses one? One is hacking the PS3 and making it available to others, and the other is hacking the PS3. GO afterall of them. If they can't afford the lawsuit, fuck them.

Don't hack!

I completely agree, both users and manufacturers deserve their hands slapped!