Sony now facing single class-action for PS3 other-OS removal

July 24th, 2010, 23:24 Posted By: wraggster

Sony did not make many friends in the tech community when the company forcibly removed the option to install Linux via a mandatory firmware update. The problem was simple: Sony had previously pushed this feature as an advantage its system held over its competitors, and later assured gamers that it would continue to be supported. That is, until Sony became spooked about the possibility of piracy. Lawsuits were filed, and Ars Technica has now learned that the court will bundle all seven suits into a single class-action case.


"In essence, the claims in these cases are that Sony Computer Entertainment of America (“Sony”) falsely represented that PS3 purchasers would be able to use their PS3s as a computer by installing another operating system, such as Linux," a document obtained by Ars Technica states. "In a recent firmware update, Sony removed the ability of consumers to utilize this feature. As a result, seven class actions were filed against Sony in federal court in San Francisco, California."

This happened at the request of "all counsel," and now the lawyers involved will work together as a united front against Sony. "At the request of all of the attorneys, Judge Seeborg ordered that three law firms with offices in San Francisco where the litigation is pending will serve as co-lead counsel."

So what happens now? A consolidated class-action complaint, followed by Sony's response. A court date is set for sometime in September for the parties to discuss next steps for the lawsuit.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2...os-removal.ars

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