Sony Stops Sales of PS Jailbreak Dongles in Australia

A Federal court in Australia has ordered electronics retailers in the country to stop sales and distribution of USB based PS Jailbreak temporarily after Sony’s claim. These USB dongles jailbreaks the Play Station 3, allowing you to install on-Sony-approved games, and played from, the system’s included hard drive keeping your valid warranty seal in tact. PS Jailbreak USB sticks don’t just allow pirated games to be played, they give you the ability to copy the games yourself.

Soon after the ruling, Australian retailer Quantronics, put the sales of the $170 dongle on hold. Currently, the site shows it as “no stock,” but the ban being temporarily, details on the PS3 modchip remain on the site. The sales and distribution of PS jailbreak is reported to resume after final hearing. According to court documents, the permanent fate of the modchip PS Jailbreak in Australia will be decided on Tuesday.

The As of now, the distributors cannot:

• Distribute the devices to another person
• Offer them to the public
• Provide them to another person
• Otherwise deal in them

In addition to barring distribution, the court ordered that a limited number of the devices “be released to [Sony] for such analysis, including destructive analysis, as the Applicants think fit, upon the payment to the applicable respondent of its retail price for each such PSJailbreak Device.”

That means Sony now have a complete control on PS Jailbreak dongles, and can dismantle them for complete analysis and later patch the exploit used in jailbreaking Play Station 3.

Sony has to convince the courts to either render the injunction permanent or extend it. Failing that, the device will go on sale in Australia September 1. We will keep you updated about the final verdict of the federal court. Stay tuned!

Via – Ars Technica