It’s over, everyone. Earlier today, Sony and George “GeoHot” Hotz agreed on a settlement outside of court. The two parties were originally scheduled to battle within the San Francisco federal court system, but now both the PlayStation 3 manufacturer and the infamous hacker are putting the ordeal behind them.
News of the settlement came courtesy of the official PlayStation Blog, where it was announced that both Sony and Hotz were glad to settle and move forward. “Our motivation for bringing this litigation was to protect our intellectual property and our consumers,” stated SCEA General Counsel Riley Russell. “We believe this settlement and permanent injunction achieve this goal.”
This injunction is likely an agreement from Hotz to refrain from posting any type of content that will allow other hackers to tamper with Sony’s machines. In regards to the settlement, Hotz echoed Sony’s sentiments and stated that he was happy to put this whole situation behind him. “It was never my intention to cause any users trouble or to make piracy easier,” said Hotz. “I’m happy to have this litigation behind me.”
It may be anticlimactic, and many gamers out there may be collectively yawning at the outcome, but it’s good to know that this matter has been resolved. It is currently unknown whether SCEE will cease its battle against Graf_Chokolo. Additionally, whether or not Anonymous will continue to wage war against Sony also remains to be seen.
