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[RustyNails]

So he took his donations and ran? So who donated??

Feast your eyes on the 2,300 replies Donation thread.

 

[darkwing]

removing some parts of the HD is not tampering?

 

[verbum]

Didn't all this start with a contract programmer writing firmware code for Sony being tired and using the number 4 too many times?
Or am I getting the unlocked security code of the PS3 mixed up with another issue involving the PS3?

 

[RomanticHeroX]

What went wrong in his life to leave him with absolutely no sense of consequence? He either must know he's losing and wants to struggle as much as possible on the way down or just assume that there will never be repercussions for his actions.

 

[Evlar]

Needs to be quoted again.

Whether Geohot is a douche or not, whether he booked this vacation many months ago or not, and whether Sony (and their fanthings) like it or not, as long as his whereabouts were known to all parties beforehand (and, from all evidence, they were), he's done nothing wrong in this instance. At least come down on him for things he might actually have done wrong, like the alleged tampering.

Gods, I miss the days when Dragona and Drinky Crow were mods. Fanthings got slapped, everyone else was happy. Good times.

Really? Where is the evidence for this?

EDIT: For clarity.

 

[Castle Doctrine]

Seriously I really wouldn't be surprised if they make a movie out of this, at least a cheap TV movie.

I can already seen them portraying the Sony execs in a high rise office shooting golf balls into a styrofoam cup.

"Sir, Geohot escaped to South America."

"Find him... and ahem... take care of him."

*shoots golf ball, hole in one.* end scene.

 

[lifa-cobex]

And that Sony should win.

I'm still very much on the fence with with the whole case. Piracy/property rites....whatever

However if indeed the case is he went on holiday or fled, This kid is totally out of order.

 

[Fixed1979]

One more time for the cheap seats!

Fleeing doesn't imply that you need to do it in secrecy, check the definition. If he comes back to face this then I'll agree he didn't flee. Otherwise he's a coward and a con (at the least).

haters get served a peace sign.

http://psx-scene.com/forums/f6/geohot-flees-south-america-83925/

Most likely the case.

 

[Agkel]

There's a severe lack of mamarobotnik and phosphor in this thread. Where are those two?

I believe they fled the country, or so i heard.

 

[hyp]

haters get served a peace sign.

http://psx-scene.com/forums/f6/geohot-flees-south-america-83925/

 

[Canova]

So he took his donations and ran? So who donated??

mama robotnik fo sho

 

[Totobeni]

He went to Argentina instead of Rio de Janeiro and Copacabana beach, fucking waste of Gaf donations.

 

[Jobiensis]

If I buy a CD, that doesn't mean I can recreate the material on it, and redistribute it, does it? I can't modify windows and redistribute it on the net, can I? Particularly if it will (or potentially) allow users to circumvent other security measures imposed by other software.

GeoHot didn't release any copyrighted code. Yes, you may freely distribute patches to Windows exes. The DMCA is the only reason Sony has a case.

Sure, Sony fucked up when they removed OtherOS, and it was a shitty move, but one poor act does not condone another. Clearly Hotz intentions weren't in the right place, and still are not in the "right place". There is zero room to defend him, at this point, or his actions.

I really don't care why GeoHot released his patch. Some of it has implications in this case, but it's pretty clear where Sony stands on consumer rights.

Edit:

[IMGz]http://psx-scene.com/forums/images/news/lifes_good.jpg[/IMGz]

What? He spent his defense money on clothes and jewelry!?

 

[MrPliskin]

I think it's more than just pro-Sony or anti-Sony at this point. It's hard to root for a company that is making it hard to do whatever I want with what I bought. At the same time, Hotz hasn't exactly been a saint here and he's done things completely the wrong way. So instead of picking sides let's laugh at how absurd this situation is.

But you can do whatever you want with your PS3, so long as you don't use Sony's Operating system illegally. They don't "own" the code, but it is copyrighted.

GeoHot didn't release any copyrighted code. Yes, you may freely distribute patches to Windows exes. The DMCA is the only reason Sony has a case.



I really don't care why GeoHot released his patch. Some of it has implications in this case, but it's pretty clear where Sony stands on consumer rights.

Are those patches for Windows exe's using copyrighted data from Microsoft?

A copyright is a copyright, and if you don't agree with it in this case, then you better start disagreeing with it for pretty much anything that has a copyright, to include books, music, movies, etc.

 

[MedIC86]

lol at the mam robotnik bashing,

give the guy a break, he did not like Geohot, just the idea of the case scared him.

 

[TheExodu5]

He may have just thought it was his property and was only willing to give what was asked for. Is it tampering if they ask for your mobo and you don't give them the risers or screws? You can get a mobo/chip combo. Do you have to cough up the cpu if they request the just the mobo? He didn't weaken the evidence or change it at all. You're looking at the device itself as the evidence, when it's actually the data on the device.

So if you went to the store to buy a hard drive, you'd be fine with getting the HDD minus the controller then? What Geogotz did was deliberate tampering solely to impede the process of data recovery. This will not win him favors with anyone.

I can't blame people that donated to his legal fund. In theory, supporting a case which can set a strong precedent in an area that is important to someone is completely uderstandable.

 

[blame space]

that is the swaggest shit i've ever heard

 

[Shambles]

What, of substance has he done to which he could be vilified?

He has committed the crime of being annoying and has therefore waived any legal rights in the judicial system. He may now be convicted of anything even if he didn't do wrong because 'he deserved it'.

 

[Angry Fork]

You must tell me how you made this (tools etc. in photoshop). I saw the original where Stallone crumples up Bobby Kotick i'm not sure if you made that one also. I always wanted to know how it was made though.

 

[jorma]

no I don't support DMCA and wish it would change and supporting Geohot will not change DMCA, supporting other organization that are fighting it will but I do support Sony in this specific case against Geohot because he's not a representative of anything and should never of received donations

He is a representative of anyone who wants to modify their own property to their own liking rather than the liking of the corporate entity who produced it. The only thing that potentially denies people doing just that is the DMCA. Cheering for Sony (and thus the DMCA) in this case - just because you dislike geohots - is baffling to me.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Thanks EB187, I now have the carmen sandiago theme bouncing around in my head.

 

[poppabk]

He may have just thought it was his property and was only willing to give what was asked for. Is it tampering if they ask for your mobo and you don't give them the risers or screws? You can get a mobo/chip combo. Do you have to cough up the cpu if they request the just the mobo? He didn't weaken the evidence or change it at all. You're looking at the device itself as the evidence, when it's actually the data on the device.

Arguing semantics is not going to be a good defense, his only argument is if he had a legitimate reason for having removed the controller cards prior to the discovery request.

"You requested all papers related to the matter but you didn't request the ink on them, which I removed. I win, I am a legal mastermind"

 

[JWong]

haters get served a peace sign.

http://psx-scene.com/forums/f6/geohot-flees-south-america-83925/

Can you unsee?

 

[Psi]

All of this is hilarious. I expect him to try to write a book about this or a made for tv movie to show up eventually.

 

[Alucrid]

lol yeah, like there wasn't a natural disaster that ravaged Haiti recently which still hasn't recovered from it, oh wait.

And you missed my point again.

 

[Jobiensis]

But you can do whatever you want with your PS3, so long as you don't use Sony's Operating system illegally. They don't "own" the code, but it is copyrighted.

There is no law against modifying copyrighted code for your own use.

 

[borghe]

And that Sony should win.

well yes. Sony SHOULD win under the current letter of the law.. and bullshit like all of this isn't going to change that law. and the guy's a prick. So yes, some people are cheering for sony over this, but it has nothing to do with actual support for the law.

ask any law student or professor... if you don't like a law on the books, breaking it and trying to change it with precedent is usually the most risky and most prone to fail way of making that happen. People might as well have bought lottery tickets with the money they donated to him. Or, you know.. actually donated it to organizations intent on changing the law in the proper way (lobbying).

There is no law against modifying copyrighted code for your own use.

you are correct. however he released copyrighted code on the internet (private keys), violated DMCA (for or against, it currently IS the law), as well as possibly broke terms of service of PSN if he in fact accessed PSN with a modified system.

but yes, someone is able to do whatever they want with their own system if it is never distributed in any form (i.e. even given to friends)

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Excellent.

Beautiful.

 

[GitarooMan]

I have no real strong interest in this either way, but it needs to be emphasized (again) that this is a civil case. He doesn't have to stay in the country, Sony can't make him obviously and he's not under arrest or out on bail or anything. The only thing that raises an eyebrow is that I think somewhere it said he skipped out on his deposition. The judge isn't going to like that and it plays poorly for his side.

Also, if he took controller cards out of the HDs that is definitely tampering in a legal sense, this bullshit about "well, the data is still there" is complete nonsense.

 

[Jinfash]

I'm doing a mental game where I replace every instance of Sony with Activision and imagining how that would change the tone of this thread.

It's pretty funny.

Welcome back :bow

 

[Dragon]

What, of substance has he done to which he could be vilified?

Vilified is a strong word, but these vacation/hard drive issues certainly don't make his case look very good.

 

[ElRenoRaven]

As the discovery company said: the order was for his HDD's, not parts of his HDD's.

Exactly. He knew what the hell he was doing when he took the parts out. There was no reason to other then to tamper with it and cause them headaches.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

H0T living the life, courtesy of your donations!

 

[hyp]

Can you unsee?

hahaha awesome.

 

[MrPliskin]

There is no law against modifying copyrighted code for your own use.

For your own use. What about for the use of potentially millions of others? Private v Public is pretty important, here.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

For whatever it's worth, I naturally assume legal counsel for a corporate entity will fight viciously for their client and will do whatever they can to paint the opposition in a bad light. That's what they do. Believing them wholesale speaks to such a level of sycophancy that I struggle to even put it in to words.

That said, if he took the donations and used them for things other than what he claimed, that is very illegal.

Does anyone actually have evidence he misappropriated donations or are people assuming that because he asked for donations, then went on vacation? It is not hard to track this sort of thing if someone had the investigative authority, so all it would take is a few donors to complain to look in to it. Unless, of course, people think he also used the donations to buy and pay for the authorities, in which case I feel that the defense has gone so far round the bend that any statement by anyone that does not in one breath praise Sony and condemn their opponents would be inadequate.

But like I said, misappropriating donations is a very big deal and a very, very severe thing to accuse someone of. Be happy, Sony fans, that if you are right, he is likely going to jail. Though I feel that if you are wrong, this will do nothing to deter your ire and any mention of this episode will be quickly dismissed as not being a full-throated defense of Sony.

 

[YoungHav]

I am glad he took people's money. I hope he moves to a poor country and lives wealthily for decades with the donation $.

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

I'm doing a mental game where I replace every instance of Sony with Activision and imagining how that would change the tone of this thread.

It's pretty funny.

You can replace Sony with Nintendo or Microsoft and you will still be getting the same result of this thread.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Ohhhh so he tampered with evidence then went on vacation, lol.

 

[lifa-cobex]

http://psx-scene.com/forums/f6/geohot-flees-south-america-83925/

So he just went on holiday?
That's still not something you should be saying after asking for donations

 

[hyp]

What? He spent his defense money on clothes and jewelry!?

that knockoff chain is rockin!

 

[FunkyPajamas]

I'm doing a mental game where I replace every instance of Sony with Activision and imagining how that would change the tone of this thread.

It's pretty funny.

You truly are too reasonable for this forum.

 

[Jomjom]

For whatever it's worth, I naturally assume legal counsel for a corporate entity will fight viciously for their client and will do whatever they can to paint the opposition in a bad light. That's what they do. Believing them wholesale speaks to such a level of sycophancy that I struggle to even put it in to words.

That said, if he took the donations and used them for things other than what he claimed, that is very illegal.

Does anyone actually have evidence he misappropriated donations or are people assuming that because he asked for donations, then went on vacation? It is not hard to track this sort of thing if someone had the investigative authority, so all it would take is a few donors to complain to look in to it. Unless, of course, people think he also used the donations to buy and pay for the authorities, in which case I feel that the defense has gone so far round the bend that any statement by anyone that does not in one breath praise Sony and condemn their opponents would be inadequate.

But like I said, misappropriating donations is a very big deal and a very, very severe thing to accuse someone of. Be happy, Sony fans, that if you are right, he is likely going to jail. Though I feel that if you are wrong, this will do nothing to deter your ire and any mention of this episode will be quickly dismissed as not being a full-throated defense of Sony.

Well look at it this way. If he had his own personal funds for a vacation, why didn't those funds go toward the legal defense? The way its supposed to work is you use all of your money, other than what is necessary for survival, for your legal fees, and once that is exhausted, THEN you ask for donations.

What you don't do is set aside money for a vacation, then claim you don't have money to pay your lawyers, and ask for donations.

 

[Shambles]

So he just went on holiday?
That's still not something you should be saying after asking for donations

How long has this case been in progress? Usually I pay for my holidays about 6 months in advance. Or maybe I just booked it that far head, it's been a while and my memory isn't that great...

 

[BobTheFork]

So he just went on holiday?
That's still not something you should be saying after asking for donations

People didn't think he was hiding in a shack fighting extradition, of course it's a holiday. The issue is him possibly taking the trip out of no-where to screw with the jurisdiction finding. I do agree that if he is taking donations then taking vacation or slowing down an expensive process is screwing with other people's money. He used his own for the trip? great, not use your own for the court case.

 

[RedAssedApe]

He went on holiday with all your donations. LOL suckers.

 

[MrPliskin]

For whatever it's worth, I naturally assume legal counsel for a corporate entity will fight viciously for their client and will do whatever they can to paint the opposition in a bad light. That's what they do. Believing them wholesale speaks to such a level of sycophancy that I struggle to even put it in to words.

That said, if he took the donations and used them for things other than what he claimed, that is very illegal.

Does anyone actually have evidence he misappropriated donations or are people assuming that because he asked for donations, then went on vacation? It is not hard to track this sort of thing if someone had the investigative authority, so all it would take is a few donors to complain to look in to it. Unless, of course, people think he also used the donations to buy and pay for the authorities, in which case I feel that the defense has gone so far round the bend that any statement by anyone that does not in one breath praise Sony and condemn their opponents would be inadequate.

But like I said, misappropriating donations is a very big deal and a very, very severe thing to accuse someone of. Be happy, Sony fans, that if you are right, he is likely going to jail. Though I feel that if you are wrong, this will do nothing to deter your ire and any mention of this episode will be quickly dismissed as not being a full-throated defense of Sony.

I believe people are more concerned that he asked for donations, and then (in poor taste) went on a Vacation. It means he either had enough money to go on a vacation, or he used donated funds to take a vacation.

Either way, from this point of view, it looks like poor form and bad behavior, and certainly not someone I want representing my consumer rights.

On the other hand, this could have been long planned, though I find that unlikely, but still possible.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Ohhhh so he tampered with evidence then went on vacation, lol.

The evidence is the data, not the physical harddrive.

It would be tampering with evidence in the same way that, if you had to supply a briefcase full of papers to the DA, but did not give them the key combination to open the lock. They'd have to spend an extra step opening the lock.

Yeah, he's fucking with Sony. That's kind of childish. It's not evidence tampering.

 

[hyp]

Well look at it this way. If he had his own personal funds for a vacation, why didn't those funds go toward the legal defense?

maybe he has a separate bank account for legal defense? whotf cares really. i find it hilarious how passionate people are on wishing the worst for this "criminal"

 

[Jobiensis]

For your own use. What about for the use of potentially millions of others? Private v Public is pretty important, here.

Not a problem.
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/UXTheme-MultiPatcher.shtml

GeoHot released a patch that allowed programs to be installed on PS3. The legal issue isn't modifying copyrighted files, it's potentially removing protection mechanisms.