Sony sues hackers over PS3 root key publication, custom firmware
Sony has broken its "looking into it" silence in spectacular fashion, by suing Geohot, fail0verflow, and multiple other individual hackers for the recent smashing of the PlayStation 3's security.
GeoHot responded to receipt of the suit by posting a .pdf of the summons on his website, which you can grab here in the short breaks between server overloads.
According to the document, SCEA has filed a complaint with the Northern Californian District Court against George Hots (GeoHot), Hector Martin Cantero & Sven Peter (fail0verflow), and 100 "does", or unnamed defendants.
Sony alleges the defendants have "circumvented effective technological protection measures ... employed by SCEA to protect against unauthorized access to and/or copying of ... PlayStation 3 computer entertainment systems ... and other copyrighted works".
Moreover it accuses the lot of them of having "trafficked in circumvention technology, products, services, methods, codes, software tools, devices, component or part thereof, including but not limited to the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm Keys, encryption and/or decryption keys, dePKG firmware decrypter program, Signing Tools, 3.55 Firmware Jailbreak, and/or any other technologies that enable unauthorized access to and/or copying of PS3 Systems and other copyrighted works."
Apparently, this violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act; the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act; the Copyright Act; California Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act; and also squeezes in breach of contract, tortious interference with contractual relations, trespass and common law misappropriation.
Sony are calling for a temporary restraining order and an order of impoundment.
Geohot published the PS3's root key on January 3, and custom firmware appeared as early as two days later. GeoHot released video footage of homebrew running on PS3s on January 7, and proof of pirated games arrived by January 12.
More as it comes in. Thanks, Engadget.