When the last update for the PS3 came about in March, one thing that it removed was support for the “other OS” feature that was touted as a huge selling point when the console was first introduced. Well, it looks like Sony finally
pissed off Anthony Ventura sufficiently to get them sued. A suit seeking class action status was filed at the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on April 27th on behalf of all PS3 owners that purchased a unit between November 17, 2006 and March 27, 2010 and have not resold the machine.
The suit alleges that by removing the feature, Sony has engaged in “an unfair and deceptive business practices perpetrated on millions of unsuspecting customers” by “intentional disablement of the valuable functionalities originally advertised as available with the
Sony Playstation 3 video game console.” In non-legalese, the suit basically stats that Sony engaged in unfair business practices by selling the PS3 with the feature available, but then removed it after touting it as a key selling point.
If a judge ultimately find Sony at fault, unspecified damages potentially in excess of $5 million for the entire suit could be awarded to those that participate. While I doubt that this will get enough legs to make class-action status and actually result in a win for Mr. Venture (and likely millions of PS3 owners), it is definitely something to keep an eye on.
