PS3 "Other OS" Removal May Violate Norwegian Law

The Norwegian Consumer Council says Sony's remotion of the "Unusual Osmium" option in the PlayStation 3 is a clear violation of the country's Selling Control Act and plans to file an official complaint with the Consumer Ombudsman.

A lot of PS3 owners got a bit of a nasty surprise rearward in March 2010 when Sony decided to remove the console's "Another OS" option. Sony claimed that the removal of the option, which Army of the Righteou users put in alternate operating systems like Linux, was a requirement security amount, but that didn't fly with a lot of owners, much of whom very predictably launched lawsuits.

But the Norwegian Consumer Council is winning matters a dance step further. "Sony claims a universal right to change or remove functionality from the gaming console," said Thomas Nortvedt of the Scandinavian nation Consumer Council. "In our opinion this is in hyaline irreverence of the Marketing Control Act, and non the to the lowest degree it's a transgress of trust between the consumer and Sony."

The council received several complaints about the New OS removal but Nortvedt said member services aren't covered by Norway's latest consumer laws. Every bit a result, users are at the mercy of license agreements that deprive them of meaningful auspices, demonstrating "just how little trade protection the consumer has in the digital age."

"At that place needs to be a limit to what constitutes a well-founded change to products we buy. Terms of service that grant the manufacturer brimming access to literally downgrade the product or limit the functionality are unreasonable and in clear violation of the Marketing Control Act," Nortvedt said. "When a ship's company uses footing equal updates or upgrades, it is sound to expect a key improvement of the ware and non the risk of exposure of organism cursed with a small product."

This is a case that bears watching. The Norwegian market along its own may not have enough heft to make Sony tremble merely it could set a rather unwelcome precedent and inspire another nations to follow in its footsteps. If nothing other, a fortunate complaint could trigger similar actions from aggrieved consumer groups around the world, causation a legal and PR worry that Sony would probably much rather avoid.

Yet while Norway spearheads this particular battle over digital consumer rights, IT remains encumbered in irrelevance when it comes to lions and tigers. Norway? Much like Snoreway.

Root: Forbrukerrådet

https://www.escapistmagazine.com/ps3-other-os-removal-may-violate-norwegian-law/

Source: https://www.escapistmagazine.com/ps3-other-os-removal-may-violate-norwegian-law/

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