Official Statement Regarding PS3 Circumvention Devices and Pirated Software

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Today, Sony Computer Entertainment released the following statement:

Notice: 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.

What this means to you

Circumvention devices and game piracy damage our industry and can potentially injure the online experience for you, our loyal PlayStation customers, via hacks and cheats.

Many PlayStation.Blog readers have asked how we intend to deal with these incidents that they have been reading about in the gaming press, and this is our initial response.

By identifying PlayStation 3 systems that breach our guidelines and terminating their ability to connect to PlayStation Network, we are protecting our business and preserving the honest gameplay experiences that you expect and deserve.

Rest assured, this message does not apply to the overwhelming majority of our users who enjoy the world of entertainment PlayStation 3 has to offer without breaching the guidelines detailed above, and we urge you to continue doing so without fear.

Comments are closed.

737 Comments

  • @1137, doesnt matter, if you dont pirate games, a HACK allows people to do it and they are, so your point is moot, pirate and lose PSN, dont like it tough, Xbox also bans people from LIVE.

    Hacker are IDIOTS, they try and justify hacking by saying its because sony didnt offer enough, LMAO. So its Ok to hack, pirate because the product doesnt have everything you want? NAme 1 product that could not be improved? Excuse.

    Peop,e will always hack, features are irrelevant, thats just your cop out and doesnt make it right. If a product is not enough for you you buy a competitors or dont buy it at al. You don’t hack it and in the process hurt other honest customers under the guise of homebrew.

  • @346, got any proof? Chances are they will ban the MAC address,the PS3 itself, not the account, please research.

  • @340, your a joke, so if you dont get every bit of content, service you want that justifies hacking and opening up a can of worms online and financial implications? What a spoiled brat. you can’t always get waht you want, if the PS3 was not good enough buy something else. total moronic excuse and copout of the scum hackers.

    Guaranteed most hackers are spoiled brats who have a major sense of self entitlement. Look at geoholtz video, says it all. Morons.

  • sony ill make it fast for you just let me no were the hackers live and ill do the rest got it

  • Good job!

  • Thumbs up Sony :)

  • @ Stefferz06 Nope sorry you did pay for it you paid for hardware NOT THE SOFTWARE. The software was licensed to you and you never owed that. And to all that keeps asking for Sony to bring back OtherOS you can thank you boy Geohot for it being removed.

    If you guys really,really want a linux system….. buy one!

  • I’m glad something will finally be done about those damn cheaters. Trophy count is mistreated by a lot of these so called hackers/cheaters. Not just that, but it also ruins the multiplayer aspect of some games. Flex your muscle Sony.

  • It’s sad that all the people congratulating Sony are too stupid to realise their rights are being taken away.

  • You guys are doing this perfectly, I am extremely happy that you guys are beefing up security on PSN because hackers are alright offline because they can do some pretty cool stuff to hardware and software but when they get online, oh boy that’s where there are problems. They can go to public lobbies/leaderboards in game and alter stats and gameplay which are unfavorable to other players and pirating… man this is bad, it leads to the slow demise of any industry as more and more do it. I and an editor for the website DLB-Network and I pretty much wrote about this there.

  • Good for you sony take them all down i been a sony fan all my life i hate crimanals like that it pisses me off.

  • Im just wondering, will formatting delete these unauthorized software?

  • @356, no, you’re the stupid one. Rights? Online in COd was a mess with hackers, the only rights that got violated were Sony’s. Stop trying to justify hacking.

    Also, Sony has EVERY right to ban HACKs online, how can anyone woith a brain think this is not a good thing? You can stil be an uneducated bum and think your doing the world a great service and run homebrew on your PS3, just say bye bye to PSN, online gaming, trophies, netflix, etc…..

  • Hire chuck norris nuff said!

  • @360

    If I buy something, it’s *my* property. *I* have the *right* to do whatever I want to it because *I* have *paid* for it.

    These cheerleaders saying Sony should be banning anyone who modifies their PS3 *are* brainwashed, uneducated morons (like who) who have no idea about consumer rights.

    Fact.

    Get over yourself.

  • i got this in my email today. trust me sony, i did not play or use and pirated or copied software. i love PS3 and dont plan on hackin anythin (mainly cuz i have no idea how to)

  • ban them sony, i want safe and fun online experience!!

  • I see a lot of system being banned soon, get those dirty cheaters and hackers

  • This is pretty alright, but really, some modder is going to make a crack to prevent this so the modders can play online.

    Happened with the wii and 360 also.

  • To clarify all the crap being thrown up by all the fan-boys here, I would like to give a better definition to what is being called a “hacker” these days. The term hacker is thrown around far too much as of late. If you put a simple method of circumventing something electronic on the web, you immediately give birth to a million “hackers”. The only hackers are the ones that create the means in the first place. Secondly, the PS fan-boys have immediately branded everyone as “pirates”. Sony is also treating everyone as if they were “pirates” by banning consoles and sending somewhat threatening letters full of legalese. If I pay for a product at a store with currency, and then leave the store with the goods that were in trade for said currency, the item and all its wonders are now MY property.

  • What I do with said property at that point is no ones business but my own. Now, if they want to go to a rental system like a cable or satellite box to which they own the box and take care of repairs in case of failure, then by all means, take features away that we had for years before and tell us what we can and can’t do with it. Until this happens, if an item is capable of doing more than the original creator had originally intended, or in the case of OtherOS, the original creator intended from the get go then reneged on, I will make sure to get the full use out of said item, regardless of idle threats from “too big for their britches” corporations. In closing, not everyone is some genius hacker (but I applaud those that are for their smarts) and not everyone is out to screw the developers of fantastic music, movies, and games (although they need to concentrate on solid single player experiences more and less on Facebook/MySpace deathmatch/CTF crap). Ban pirates if you’d like, but quit bunching all of them together just to make an ill attempt at some lost cause resolution just to make an example.

  • Finally, I can play online, safe from online cheaters. Those who cheat deserves to be banned. Keep up the good work Sony!

  • Point is, 85% of the time when hackers go online, it ends up being no good, whether it be pirating or altering public gaming experiences when frankly people don’t want that it seems to be just best for everyone because you guys say that your freedom is being limited but keep in mind pirating is THEFT and that altering how a game can play online in public lobbies is ILLEGAL and MOST hackers do these EXACT things when they go online, what on earth do you think they do? Again, I have no problem with whatever hackers do offline but it’s all trouble online 85% of the time.

  • LOL. Cant wait to listen to the whine of hackers/complainers when they can no longer go online, all because they’re too cheap to buy games. Get a job loosers, get a job.

  • Hello!? SONY, are you there?? Your BS TOS agreements do not mean anything.

    Once more,
    Your BS TOS agreements do not mean anything. PS3 users paid for the device. You made it, they bought, and it is no longer yours. There was no contract signing upon purchase and once the console is open and your stupid TOS pops up it cannot be returned if one does not agree to its terms. If the only option for the user to use the product they paid for is to answer yes than it cannot be considered binding.

    Now if you want to offer a refund policy for those who do not agree, I am all for that. I will gladly turn in my system and the roughly 30 games I purchased for a full refund. If not, get your mouths away from your corporate butthole and shut them.

  • @367, 368
    How can you not do whatever you want with your PS3? You just can’t use PSN. People are really exaggerating. Sony is not treating everyone as pirates. In the email it says “unauthorized software” OR “pirated software”. A custom firmware and homebrew software are unauthorized. I see nothing wrong with that.

    The PS3 is probably the most open console EVER. Standard HDD upgrades, supports other USB controllers/steering wheels, has wifi, ethernet, bluetooth for whatever headset you want to use. It even had OtherOS, but that was removed thanks to geohot.

  • Lend me a banhammer and I shall get the job done =]

  • Hi guys at Sony … I fully support you! But, instead of scaring anyone, why not giving the hackers what they want? What I mean is, they have the argument that they have bought the hardware and they own the hardware. Sony is and will be the owner of all software and its rights in the console, right? Sooo, why not simply removing ALL software on ALL hacked consoles via a firmware update that checks for hacks? That would give the hackers the hardware and something to do … writing their own OS, firmwares, etc …

  • @ 362

    You’re right and wrong. It is your hardware, period. And what you want to do with it is your business. When you access the network for online gaming (I’m assuming you do), you are now on Sony’s network and are subject to TOS and all their other rules and regs. I’m not at all for banning or boycotting and I’m a strong advocate of consumers rights. However, if we want to play in Sony’s house we have to play by their rules. In addition I spend approx 300 dollars on games monthly, and it’s bull that the small percentage of people who distribute and receive pirated software can get software free or get into my account and steal what I worked hard and paid for, which has happened, really hacks me off. One man’s opinion. Peace.

  • @362 nobody is stopping you to modding your ps3.
    But Sony has every right to ban anyone on their network for hacks.
    Piracy and cheaters is bad for an already shaky industry.

    Maybe in your country piracy isn’t rampant, but where I live, just go to any mall and you see rows of stalls selling hacked PS3’s.

    And this all started because some nerd wanted his EPeen enlarged using the whole otherOS fiasco has a cover/

    Thats why I respect the hacker who found an exploit for the PSPgo but didst share it online.

  • @371 +1000000000000000

  • thank you sony, now back to online play on killzone3

  • @oldmipu yes technally they could do that (im currently in law school and ive read everything that im about to post so dont say that i dont know anything ive read it 3 times i know what im about to say)but its illegal under united states title code they are not allowed to issue an update that would render any device unoperationl reguardless of the situation (has hacks on it etc) they only thing legally they can do is ban from the PSN they CAN NOT brick the system or they would in up in a class action lawsuit and SCEA would probally have there bussiness license revoked in the united states thus go out of business. if they released a firmware update that bricked any system including ones with hacks on it. also abot the TOS its not a binding contract in the United states under “Title 41 of the United States Code” a contract is defined as a legal document with a written siginture on it and selecting yes to a TOS is not a written siginture because the title code does not define digital contracts therfore no online TOS are legally binding. sony PSN TOS, microsofts XBOX Live TOS, etc none of them are because they are not physical contracts with signtures on them

  • Jaymz99 is 100% exactly right.

  • Hacking and Jailbreaking the PS3 ruins the gaming experience for everyone. You may own your PS3 when you buy and hack it, but you do not own playstation network and do not deserve to participate in the community. Nor do you own rights in pirating the software you have bought and then rip for others or attempt to purchase pirated software. If you want to circumvent PS3 security measures, your system should be bricked and you should not be able to participate in the PS3 community that is honest and purchases software/hardware/services in order to enjoy a superior gaming experience.

    Furthermore, I own a 360 and PS3. I enjoy both systems and their respective strengths without the need to pirate software or hack my systems. I hope everyone that does participate in harmful type activity such as jailbreaking is banned so that honest gamers can enjoy the pure gaming experience they pay for.

  • Using homebrew with PS3 does not mean someone is automatically cheating at online games.

    Nor does it mean someone is automatically pirating games.

    Why are people such idiots on this board?

  • hopefully people that ruin MW2 would be banned first.

  • @zm1231 As for a contract with a writen signature, since sonys base of operations in the US are in the state of California, Click accepting of a agreement is a binding signature. If you dont believe me, go look it up.

    As for the rest, is correct, sony cannot just brick a ps3 because of hacks, but sony can refuse to fix a ps3 that has very good evidence that it has been hacked, but ether way if they did fix it, the customer would still be paying for the repair, even if it was under warrentty. See if a customer hacks the ps3 and it needed repairs that means the customer chose to break sonys warrenty claims and agreements and sony can leave the option up to the customer to ether pay for repairs or have sent back a dead unit.

  • Why can’t bring back linux support, it is a legitimate option that Sony themselves supported, and many institutions&persons need it. And don’t those hackers use “re enable linux on ps3” as an excuse of hacking/pirating? Why give them one?

  • Lastly, people like Jaymz99 that obviously have little to no understand of software rights and the user agreements they consent to are an embarrassment and should be removed from the gaming community.

  • @ Ckrovax
    what did i just say
    “If you want to circumvent PS3 security measures, your system should be bricked and you should not be able to participate in the PS3 community” Its not legal for them to brick any system reguardless of any situation such as having hack or pirated software or homebrew etc the united states title code says so that would be the same as property damage because they are destorying the ps3 that they brick and tge title code says that the cant and if they did they would be sued with a class action lawsuit, lose there business license in the usa and the sony copration coulsnt do any more business in the united states because the united states internal trade comission wouldnt allow them to

  • I hope Sony bans all the morons that post that they hack / support hacks / think that ruining the online experience of others that also paid lots of money for their PS3. Posting that stuff here under your PSN account is genius guys. Any sort of hack, mod, or glitch is breaking the SCEA End User License Agreement, hence why Sony can ban you for abusing their online services.

  • @ zm1231
    Ctrl+F Jaymz99, not zm1231
    :)

  • hey i can i report them cause i hates a cheatr and there’s video proof too

  • @Naquie yes it is in the state of CA but the title code is on a federal level and federal level overrides any thing that a state says that been proving by the us constitution time and time again and the us constitution even states that the federal government is the highest law and will override anything that a state says. and yes they cant brick it but that is true if its modified they will not repair it they have that right not to repair it because its been modified

  • Good Job SONY! These losers should be banned.. and as for Geohot you should spread his address on the web cause I’ll personally go over there and kick his S!

  • @zm1231
    I think you need to do some more learning of the code especially where if a product of a company is sold in the US the laws that pertain to that product is based on the state that the companies legal presidence is placed, as in this case is why sony has their headquarters based in the state of California. When a product is sold in many states and depending on how sever the legality of the problems that pop up, the law reverts the lawsuits and other legal matters to the state the company stes legal presidence. This is why most of sonys lawsuits are in california.

    This is why they are trying so hard to get the Geo lawsuit held in california because its the state where sony is based.

  • I am glad this is being done and that the measures are being told here on the blog out loud, I know my experience with MW2 was ruined by a hacker and I lost all my challenges and exp for that game which prompted me to trade it in towards black ops, I am glad this will not be allowed nor tolerated by Sony and that they are protecting the Network.

    I mean come on! Sony gave us the PSN for free to use and play games and get demos and other great stuff most of some has been free to us, and they repay them by hacking it up and destroying it almost.

    I for one am glad they are started banning and making them pay.

    I support this fully and they have my loyalty towards there product here.

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