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George Hotz, an infamous hardware hacker better known online as Geohot, has a PlayStation that he’s not allowed to play with — at least not the way he likes to, which involves figuring out how to bypass manufacturers’ artificial limits on what users can do with their gadgets.

Geohot settled a civil suit filed against him by Sony for figuring out how to let people play homebrew games on the popular console — in violation of a federal law that prohibits getting around encryption in hardware and software, even if the reason to do it is perfectly legal. He settled the suit last year by agreeing never to tinker again with a Sony product, but his hacker itch has him awaiting a looming decision by federal copyright regulators that, for the first time, could legalize videogame-console jailbreaking.

That, Geohot thinks, might let him “jailbreak” the PlayStation again, freeing it for the world of tinkerers to use as they wish, the same way that a decision in 2010 to allow mobile phone users to liberate their smartphones to run whatever programs they like bolstered a vibrant alternative to the tightly constrained and capriciously run Apple App Store.

“I would really like to get back into that scene,” Hotz said in a recent telephone interview.

Every three years the U.S. Copyright Office entertains requests to create temporary loopholes in the law that makes it unlawful to circumvent encryption technologies in items that you buy. It’s that time again, the fifth go-round since the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s 1998 passage. Exemptions, about two dozen granted so far, are allotted if regulators are convinced consumers are “adversely affected in their ability to make non-infringing use due to the prohibition on circumvention.”

It’s part of a long-running showdown between the big copyright holders who view the world as divided starkly into creators and consumers, and a motley coalition of librarians, digital rights groups, disability activists and hackers who seek to preserve a world where people can re-purpose, upgrade and build upon the devices and media they legally buy, just as hackers, painters and culture jammers have done for decades before the DMCA.


The popular mobile phone jailbreaking exemption came against the protests of Apple, which claimed jailbreaking would ruin its business and open the nation’s cell phone networks to “potentially catastrophic” cyberattacks. But copyright regulators decreed that it was finally legal to “jailbreak” smart phones so that iPhone users could install apps that Apple didn’t approve.

Today, there are more than 1 million jailbroken iPhones using a third-party app store called Cydia, and Apple has incorporated into its mobile operating system many of the same tweaks that came out of a freedom it said would doom its business model. Those promised cyberattacks never came and, clearly, Apple’s mobile business is thriving, helping push the company’s stock to stratospheric levels.

The decision also gave legal clearance to Android hackers who busted their way past carrier and manufacturer imposed locks on smartphones so users could install custom flavors of Google’s open-source mobile OS that are devoid of the bloatware and limits carriers put on the handsets.

But under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, it’s still unlawful — a civil or criminal fine — to hack a gaming console or a tablet like the iPad for the same reason.

That might soon change under proposed exemptions offered by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Hotz, 22, understands this anomaly of the DMCA all too well. Last year, Sony dropped its PlayStation 3 jailbreaking lawsuit against Hotz in exchange for promises that the Palo Alto, California man would never again tinker with the game console or any Sony product. For the moment, he said, he has “put all Sony products in a box.” He said that, since the settlement, he has not “touched them since.”

I'm afraid that after this all pushes through, if it actually does, there's a chance that the PS4 will come out. That's how long of a time I'm thinking before it happens :p

because, if you knew anything about the PS3 scene, GeoHot himself and KakarotoKs said that CFWs were no longer possible.

EXPLOITS are what they will find. Don't groan me cause I know things.

For both of your guy's information, I did read the whole article. Maybe next time you should ask me to clarify my opinion before you start bashing on me and claiming that I "didn't read the entire article" especially when you accuse me of not reading it at all. :dumb:

The reason I posted what I did was my opinion based off of the last paragraph in the article which says "Sony dropped its PlayStation 3 jailbreaking lawsuit against Hotz in exchange for promises that the Palo Alto, California man would never again tinker with the game console or any Sony product." Now whether or not he just made a promise or actually signed a document agreeing to Sony's terms, I do not know but I took it as they probably had him sign some kind of contract/form.

So please, next time both of you think about what I was possibly getting at before you immediately jump on me and try to criticize me.

There was no need to do research because it had nothing to do with the OP. It's a year old and GeoHot posted that he donated the money to the EFF on his blog...

Yeah because we are ment to deduct all you said there from your first comment. You should have stated your opinion in the first place. Obviously what you said was misleading and made it seem like you didn't read the full article.

How did them getting taken down have anything to do with people jailbreaking their consoles :dumb:

The jailbreak was how the SEN crack started... Hackers get access to SEN through the PS3s internal files = PSN cracked wide open

Personally, given that this decision is only made once every 3 years, I think Sony will be struggling to make their argument look valid this time around. I think this because Apple tried to present pretty much the same points - 'it'll ruin our business etc etc.' and then it's done absolutely nothing to damage their business.

Therefore, if it didn't damage Apple, why would it damage Sony?

if he could come back it would be great but those who are telling tht it isnt possible to jailbreak anymore how u know?? if GeoHot havent talked to u about it how u know it?? and even if he said tht u cant still know cuz if he did leave the sony stuff in a bag or something who says he did open/did not open it?? cuz if he opened it he probably have tried to jailbreak it but if he havent he doesnt know so u guys tht says it isnt possible to jailbreak: SCREW U