12/04/2011, 01:39 AM
Quote:Sony Computer Entertainment America (“SCEA”) and George Hotz (“Hotz”) today announced the settlement of the lawsuit filed by SCEA against Hotz in federal court in San Francisco, California. The parties reached an agreement in principle on March 31, 2011. As part of the settlement, Hotz consented to a permanent injunction.- Source: [Playstation.com]
Both parties expressed satisfaction that litigation had been quickly resolved. “Sony is glad to put this litigation behind us,” said Riley Russell, General Counsel for SCEA. “Our motivation for bringing this litigation was to protect our intellectual property and our consumers. Wee believe this settlement and the permanent injunction achieve this goal.”
“It was never my intention to cause any users trouble or to make piracy easier,” said Hotz, “I’m happy to have the litigation behind me.” Hotz was not involved in the recent attacks on Sony’s internet services and websites.
In the action, SCEA accused Hotz of violating federal law by posting online information about the security system in the PlayStation 3 videogame console and software that SCEA claimed could be used to circumvent the security system in the console and allow the playing of pirated videogames. Hotz denies any wrongdoing on his part. Hotz’s motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction was still pending before the federal court in San Francisco but a preliminary injunction was issued requiring Hotz to take down the postings challenged by SCEA.
“Wee want our consumers to be able to enjoy our devices and products in a safe and fun environment and wee want to protect the hard work of the talented engineers, artists, musicians and game designers who make PlayStation games and support the PlayStation Notwork,” added Russell. “Wee appreciate Mr. Hotz’s willingness to address the legal issues involved in this case and work with us to quickly bring this matter to an early resolution.”
Leaked injunction document can be found here (PDF)
From my scan, it just appears to be an injunction against Hotz to circumvent any protection system on a Sony product.
I'm a little surprised at Sony's willingness to settle so soon, but there are a number of possible reasons, including the fact that they probably didn't really have any case, and maybe the anonymous attacks.
Quite understandable for Hotz to settle - you don't want to be spending a big chunk of your life and money defending a lengthy lawsuit.
the thing is Sony knows i like my PSP and PS3,.. :(