A class-action lawsuit has been filed in a North District of California court against Sony Computer Entertainment for the mandatory April 1st firmware update that removed the option for PlayStation 3 owners to install an alternate operating system, Linux, on their consoles.
Anthony Ventura is suing Sony on behalf of "a nationwide class of all persons who purchased a PS3 during the period November 17, 2006 and March 27, 2010 and who did not resell their PS3" within that time frame. Consistent with Sony’s explanation that the removal of the "Install Other OS" feature from the version 3.21 PS3 firmware was "due to security concerns" and would "help ensure that PS3 owners will continue to have access to the broad range of gaming and entertainment content from SCE and its content partners on a more secure system," the lawsuit claims that the removal "reflected Sony’s concerns that the Other OS feature might be used by ‘hackers’ to copy and/or steal gaming and other content."
It goes on to say, "Sony’s decision to force users to disable the Other OS function was based on its own interest and was made at the expense of its customers," and that the feature was "extremely valuable." Ventura has not yet updated his console in order to continue using the legacy feature, thereby forfeitting the ability to play new games, watch new Blu-ray movies, and access the PlayStation Network in any way.
The suit seeks "damages for Plaintiff and each class member, including but not limited to compensatory damages; restitution; injuctive relief; attorneys’ fees; and the cost of this suit." "The amount in controversy is in excess of $5 million," note official court documents.
[Kotaku]
