Court prohibits sale of jailbreak for PS3

Court removes ban on PS3 jailbreak

The distribution and sale of USB devices intended to unlock the PlayStation 3, allowing games and software to be played «unofficially», has been banned by Spanish courts, local media report.

The decision known this week is still provisional, being a precautionary measure, decreed by a commercial court in Barcelona following several lawsuits brought by Sony against distributors of this type of equipment in the country.

Newspapers cite sources «related to the prosecution», who declined to provide further details about the case. According to El País, they only said that the company intends to «defend the rights by the legal means at its disposal».

After a long period without anyone having managed to bypass the security mechanisms of the Sony home entertainment console, the first jailbreaks for the console, which prompted the company to take action against using them – including the latest software update, released this month.

One way is to go to court, with reports of cases in countries such as Australia, the United States, Germany or Hong Kong.

In Portugal there is no indication of any such action taking place. Contacted by TeK, the official spokeswoman for the company said it had no comment, saying only that the company tries to ensure the maximum safety of the equipment, taking the necessary measures for this safety to remain.