Sony sued over addition of PSN do-not-sue clause

Sony is being sued for the new clause in its PlayStation Network end-user license agreement that protects it from just such things, Geek reported on Tuesday. The addition was made in September and prompted games developer EA and software giant Microsoft to make similar changes. Under the terms, PSN gamers must agree not to sue Sony if their accounts are hacked in the future or if anything else goes wrong.

Users did have the option to opt out of the clause, but had only 30 days to do so and allegedly weren't notified of the change. The new class action lawsuit accuses Sony of unfair business practices as a result of the change. Users have no choice but to either agree or go without Sony's gaming network.

The complaint was filed by a man in Northern California late in November. Any buyers of a PS3 before the addition of the clause in September can join it, as the lawsuit alleges Sony unfairly took online gaming away from them if they don't agree to the new conditions. By buying the hardware, users effectively bought access to PSN for gaming, the documents state.

If the lawsuit proves successful, it likely means others will have to change their terms and conditions as well. Microsoft recently followed Sony and instituted a similar anti-lawsuit clause for Xbox Live users.

The clause comes in response to lawsuits Sony faced after its PlayStation Network was hacked back in April, resulting in user credit card information and more being stolen.

By Electronista Staff

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