SL - Surely this isn't legal?

[lovedr]

check out the following Ebay item: 110296616754 listed for a "free" copy of HD when buying a joke.

there was also a similar auction last week (Item: 260293063082) which was stating the game could be paid for once and shared with four other users when providing their own PSN ID - surely this is an infringement of the Sony terms and conditions which were only offering someone the backup facility to d/l an item 5 times in case they deleted it or similar - not to share with other people.

What are your thoughts, surely they should be stopped?

Is there any way to track this sort of activity?

[Darkdrium777]

Game sharing is against the PSN Terms Of Use (TOS) but I'm afraid there is no law against that as well. So you can get your account banned from the PSN, but you can't go to jail. So it is legal. :dizzy

And also, you can download WipEout HD an infinite number of times on up to five different PS3s. There is a 'five' limit, it's in the number of activations for the software, not the number of downloads. So if your PS3 breaks and you get a new one four times, you will still be able to download WipEout HD on it just by logging back onto your account on the new system. The fifth time though, you will have to pay, unless you had a chance of deactivating older systems (Which won't really be the case since they break in an accidental fashion).

[lovedr]

i wonder whether it conflicts with Ebay regulations then - these people should be stopped.

*shakes fist in air* lol

[Darkdrium777]

I am sure it is not encouraged by e-Bay, as people could get scammed if they share their login information. Serves them right though, game sharing should be done between people you know and trust, but e-Bay could be held liable for damage, so if you contact them I think they will remove the auction. Not sure...

[Wip3ou7]

Actually, here's how it works EXACTLY:

Your PSN account has 5 license slots linked to it;
The first time you download a purchased item to a PS3, that PS3's internal ID is tied to your PSN account;
Each of the 5 PS3s that can be tied to your account take up one license for EVERYTHING, no matter if only 1 item is downloaded to that PS3 (ie. you can't share wipeout hd with 4 buddies, and then share ratchet and clank with 4 different buddies, you would be out of licenses and the 4 people you shared wipeout with might as well download everything you ever bought);
The only way to disassociate a PS3 from your PSN account is to physically access your account on that specific PS3 unit, go to account mangement, select "DEACTIVATE THIS PS3" FIRSTand then delete your account from the system, NOTE: If you delete your PSN account from a system without FIRST deactivating it, that PS3 is still using one of your 5 licenses;
If you give your PSN info to someone to be used on their PS3, and you don't have physical access to that unit, then kiss one of your 4 (youre already using one) licenses goodbye permanently. Same goes if you sell a system or it breaks, if you cant access your account from the system, a license is lost permanently.
So for those 5 systems that you put your account on, those systems (while "activated") can download everything purchased from that account an infinite number of times;
This functionality exists as a way for people with more than one PS3 to have their downloadable games on the go no matter which of their systems they are activating. The 5 licenses are NOT for redownloading things that you have purchased, as redownloading things does NOT consume one of your 5 licenses. THE 5 LICENSES DO EXIST SO THAT YOU MAY HAVE YOUR GAMES ON MULTIPLE SYSTEMS. Although it is NOT intended to be shared with people who have not purchased the game, it IS intended to be used on other systems by the owner of the license.

So there you go, the gray area that is PSN-DLC-Sharing explained to a tee.

I did on one occasion run out of Licenses, and a 2 hour phone call with SONY and 3 levels of tech support got me all 5 of my licenses back (as I did not have the ability to deactivate my registered sytems, due to some being sent in for repair before being deactivated, and another being stolen). It took alot of convincing though, and RMA numbers to prove my systems were sent in for repair.

[Darkdrium777]

Yes that is exactly that Wip3ou7 ;)
But it is still against the TOS of the PSN because you have to share your login info, which can get you banned if you are reported. :P

[lovedr]

thanks for the clarification there Wip3ou7 much appreciated.