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Consumers who use the new PS3 lv0 bootloader key to play games illegally online are being banned from PSN.
Unauthorised software for the PlayStation 3 system was recently released by hackers,” a Sony statement reads. Use of such software violates the terms of the ‘System Software License Agreement for the PlayStation 3 System’ and the ‘Terms of Services and User Agreement’ for the PlayStation Network/Sony Entertainment Network and its Community Code of Conduct provisions.
Violation of the System Software License Agreement for the PlayStation 3 system invalidates the consumer’s right to access that system. Consumers running unauthorised or pirated software may have their access to the PlayStation Network and access to Sony Entertainment Network services through PlayStation 3 system terminated permanently.
To avoid permanent termination, consumers must immediately cease using and delete all unauthorized or pirated software from their PlayStation 3 systems.
In order to help provide a safe, fair, online environment, consumers who we believe violate ‘Terms of Services and User Agreement’ for the PlayStation Network/Sony Entertainment Network or the applicable laws or regulations of their country or region risk having access to the PlayStation Network and access to Sony Entertainment Network services terminated permanently.”
How effective the move will be remains open to debate, considering that hackers now reportedly have access to the complete dataset the PS3 uses to identify itself on PSN servers.
It’s also worth noting that it was Sony’s attempt to restrict owners from freely using their console that started this all off in the first place – hacker George Hotz argued that Sony had no right to remove Linux functionality from the console and that he and others should be free to sue the hardware they own as they please.
