The lawyer for embattled gadget hacker George Hotz told a federal judge Thursday that it is impossible to cleanse the internet of the code to jailbreak the PlayStation 3, despite Sony’s demands that it be done.
“The code sought to be restrained will always be a Google search away,” wrote attorney Stewart Kellar, who represents Hotz, a 21-year-old from New Jersey who goes by the handle “GeoHot.”
Hotz accessed the so-called “metldr keys” and obtained root access to trick the PS3 into running software not approved by Sony. He published the code a week ago, and was greeted Tuesday with a lawsuit from Sony, which has sold 41 million PS3 units since the console’s 2006 debut. The code allows the playing of pirated and home-brew software on the console, and has spread across the net like wildfire.
The suit claims Hotz, well known in the iPhone jailbreak community, breached the anti-circumvention provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and other laws. It seeks unspecified damages, the removal of the code from the internet, and the impounding of all of Hotz’s computer and related gear.
Kellar, in a court filing, told U.S. District Judge Susan Illston that the case lacks a legal basis. Still, he said, Sony is trying to send “a message to any would-be individual that attempting to use any hardware it manufacturers in a way it does not deem appropriate will result in harsh legal consequences.”
A hearing on the code’s removal, and the surrendering of Hotz’s equipment, is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday in San Francisco federal court. Hotz is not expected to attend, Kellar said in a telephone interview.
Threat Level analyzed of the legal flap Wednesday.
Photo: Wikipedia
See Also:
- Sony Asks Court to Remove PlayStation 3 Jailbreak From Net
- U.S. Declares iPhone Jailbreaking Legal, Over Apple’s Objections
- iPhone Jailbreak Videos: A Legal Primer and a How-To
- DMCA Exemption Unlikely for iPad Jailbreak
- iPhone Jailbreaking Could Crash Cellphone Towers, Apple Claims
- Student Arrested for Jailbreaking Game Consoles
- Apple v. EFF: The iPhone Jailbreaking Showdown
- Apple Says iPhone Jailbreaking is Illegal