First Apple, and now Sony: Jailbreaking devices may be legal, but apparently that doesn’t mean that tech companies have to like it. Sony have officially announced that users who have jailbroken PS3s or pirated software will be banned from the PlayStation Network.
The official announcement reads:
Unauthorized circumvention devices for the PlayStation 3 system have been recently released by hackers. These devices permit the use of unauthorized or pirated software. Use of such devices or software violates the terms of the “System Software License Agreement for the PlayStation 3 System” and the “Terms of Services and User Agreement” for the PlayStation Network/Qriocity and its Community Code of Conduct provisions. Violation of the System Software Licence Agreement for the PlayStation 3 System invalidates the consumer guarantee for that system. In addition, copying or playing pirated software is a violation of International Copyright Laws. Consumers using circumvention devices or running unauthorized or pirated software will have access to the PlayStation Network and access to Qriocity services through PlayStation 3 system terminated permanently.
To avoid this, consumers must immediately cease use and remove all circumvention devices and delete all unauthorized or pirated software from their PlayStation 3 systems.
Of course, as Ars Technica points out, “one thing is certain: someone, or a group of someones, is already working on a solution to this newest wrinkle in Sony’s ongoing effort to keep the PlayStation 3 locked down tight.” But again, I have to wonder: How legal is this kind of behavior, considering that the courts have said that jailbreaking is perfectly fine?
More on Techland:
Apple Kills iBooks On Jailbroken iOS, But Is That Legal?