Sony Sued Again For Removing PS3 Linux Feature

[Ares]

Sony Sued Again For Removing PS3 Linux Feature

Two more class action lawsuits filed against SCEA.
by Jim Reilly

May 7, 2010 -Two more class action lawsuits have been filed against Sony Computer Entertainment America for removing the 'Other OS' feature from the PlayStation 3.

The first lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, May 5 by Todd Densmore of Cumming, Ga., and Antal Herz of San Francisco, Calif., claim Sony has rendered several PlayStation 3 features they paid for "inoperable" as a result of the releaseof firmware 3.21. The update, released on April 1, 2010, disabled the ability to install the Linux operating system. By choosing not to update their console, users couldn't access separate, non-related features, such as signing onto PlayStation Network.

The suit states Sony allegedly failed to disclose to customers that it reserved the right to remove advertised, built-in features. The suit also states the right to remove the 'Other OS' feature is not disclosed in Sony's Terms of Service or System Software License Agreement.

Densmore and Herz are seeking damages and other relief the Court deems just. The class includes anyone who purchased a PlayStation 3 from November 17, 2006 to March 27, 2010 and folks who continue to own their console as of March 27, 2010.

A complete copy of the lawsuit in PDF form can be viewed here.

The second class action suit, filed on April 30 by five individuals across the United States, claims, among other things, that the plaintiffs "lost money by purchasing a PS3 without receiving the benefit of their bargain because the product is not what it was claimed to be - a game console that would provide both the Other OS feature and gaming functions."

The group is seeking compensatory damages, restitution, and injunction relief.

A complete copy of the lawsuit in PDF form can be viewed here.

The total number of lawsuits filed against Sony in the last two weeks for removing the feature is now at three. On April 28, a similar lawsuit was filed by Anthony Ventura of California. That case is still ongoing.

Sony representatives told IGN the company does not comment on pending litigation.

Source: IGN

 

[Nemo128]

F Sony in the A.

 

[GlocksRock]

F Sony in the A.

apple too!

 

[Seth=L]

Sony's fault for not having the forethought to recognize that other OS was a mistake from the beginning.

 

[Nemo128]

apple too!

Hellz yeah!

Sony's fault for not having the forethought to recognize that other OS was a mistake from the beginning.

Imagine if Microsoft SOLD the XBox 360 as fully backwards compatible, THEN removed that in a firmware update?!?! Oh wait... didn't Sony do that too?!!??!!?

 

[darien87]

Hellz yeah!



Imagine if Microsoft SOLD the XBox 360 as fully backwards compatible, THEN removed that in a firmware update?!?! Oh wait... didn't Sony do that too?!!??!!?

Oh please, like Microsoft is a bunch of angels?!?

 

[Nemo128]

Oh please, like Microsoft is a bunch of angels?!?

Far from it, but they never sold a product with a feature they later removed. k thnx bye

 

[Seth=L]

Far from it, but they never sold a product with a feature they later removed. k thnx bye

You know, I really don't like Microsoft or Apple, but you don't see me preaching about how bad they are. I'm not a big fan of Sony either, but I do like the functionality of my Playstation 3. So it's fair to say I like the product, and nothing that Sony has done has affected my use of the system.

The thing is, virtually any large company is going to do something at some point that isn't in the best interest of a portion of it's customers. That's just a hazard of big business.

 

[Ares]

As a PS3 owner I never cared for the OS feature, if my sole use of the PS3 was based on that I would have been better off buying a PC to begin with. Now Sony should have had the foresight to realize that this feature could have exploited with that being said the Big 3 all have been sued for some reason or another it's the nature of the business. here is a listed of what they have been sued for so far:

Sony PS3: controller, firmware update 3.00, firmware update 3.21 (OS feature removed), God of War , and the Cell.

Microsoft Xbox 360: controller, scratched discs, RROD, updates, Xbox Live, power cord, and MS points.

Nintendo Wii: controller, property damaged caused by Wii remote, Wii Fit, and physical injury while playing with the Wii Remote.

I am pretty sure that this list for the Big 3 will continue to grow for one reason or another

 

[j_garcia]

Imagine if Microsoft SOLD the XBox 360 as fully backwards compatible, THEN removed that in a firmware update?!?! Oh wait... didn't Sony do that too?!!??!!?

No they didn't. Backwards compatibility is still available on the original 20G and 60G (basically has a PS2 chip on board) and some second generation models (software emulation). It is not available on the slim.

 

[darien87]

Far from it, but they never sold a product with a feature they later removed. k thnx bye

The feature Microsoft removed was the one where XBox's are supposed to work! Doh!

 

[Nemo128]

The feature Microsoft removed was the one where XBox's are supposed to work! Doh!

Never had a problem with either of mine, but I also keep it well-ventilated. All the 360s I've heard of failing were being used buried in a pile of dirty laundry or surrounded by other high-heat components. Onkyo AVRs anyone? Mine gets supa-hot!

 

[Ares]

Never had a problem with either of mine, but I also keep it well-ventilated. All the 360s I've heard of failing were being used buried in a pile of dirty laundry or surrounded by other high-heat components. Onkyo AVRs anyone? Mine gets supa-hot!

I keep my HT room spotless and my consoles are kept separate from everything else, and that still didn't stop my (7)360's from failing. Now for those 360's that failed due to what you descried where those teen owners or adults? If they are teen owners it's expected most teens (not all) don't take care of anything since they didn't pay for it in the first place and if they are adults all I can say is, they use to be the teens that I mentioned before just older now.

 

[Nemo128]

that still didn't stop my (7)360's from failing.

A few observations...

1. You must love the 360 to keep one in your setup after 7 hardware failures.

2. You must be bad luck for electronics to have 7 of them die on you.

 

[Seth=L]

A few observations...

1. You must love the 360 to keep one in your setup after 7 hardware failures.

2. You must be bad luck for electronics to have 7 of them die on you.

Or you have incredibly good luck. Good luck combined with the XBOX 360 isn't a bad way to go. For those of us with bad luck, we get PS3s.

 

[Ares]

A few observations...

1. You must love the 360 to keep one in your setup after 7 hardware failures.

2. You must be bad luck for electronics to have 7 of them die on you.

I have no love for either console, I just love gaming and the hardware failures were with launch 360's which had failure rates over 50%. I will give MS credit for not charging me for the replacements or repairs which was nice. But if I had to pay for it I would have been done with the 360 after 2.