PS3 modchip banned in Australia
Temporary block may signal forthcoming worldwide injunction attempts for USB jailbreak
Sony has been granted a temporary injunction against the PSJailbreak USB modchip.
The plug-in copy protection bypass was released earlier this month, apparently defeating the so-called "unhackable" PlayStation 3.
However, Australia's Federal Court has temporarily barred the import and sale of the dongle, reports Kotaku, granting Sony until the end of August to make its case for a permanent restriction on the controversial device.
If Sony cannot convince the courts that the PSJailbreak is illegal, it will go back on sale in September.
It is likely that Sony is pursuing similar injunctions in other territories, but the recent news that cheaper clones of the device have already been created may complicate stemming the tide.
Legal responses to modchips and jailbreaks worldwide have been inconsistent, with some devices being banned outright, others – such as the notorious DS R4 – surviving for years before being blocked and, recently, hacks for the iPhone being legally allowed in the US.