14 DAY TRIAL // Fanjita is best known for his GTA: LCS eLoader exploit which is a downgrade for the PSP to make users able to run pirated games and do all other nasty stuff that the big company wouldn't like. His real name is David Court and he is a 34-year-old professional programmer who writes server software for telecommunications companies. The firmware downgrade that Fanjita has created takes the PSP back to 1.5 firmware with which it is possible to mess up your handheld from Sony in any way you can think of (run DivX movies, pirated games and others).
But remember, we have another hacker to thank for being able to mess with the PSP and his name is Alejandro, a student from Spain, aka Dark Alex. You might remember him from an older article of mine about a homebrew hacker messing with the PSP's 3.10 firmware, making it into Dark Alex's custom brand firmware: 3.10 OE-A (OE standing for Open Edition). His custom made firmware made the normal PSP's potential look like a total joke.
The new firmware 3.10 OE-A Dark Alex has created allows PSP owners to run pirated discs, all sorts of applications, speed up the processor and make maximum use of the display's brightness, all this without having to connect a power adaptor. You've surely asked yourself at least once while reading this article, "why don't the big companies do anything about it?", knowing who's behind all the hacking and messing with their software. The thing is, they can't quite barge into their houses and handcuff them just like that. Buying your very own machine entitles you to do whatever you want with it. Heck, you can even go up to Sony's HQ and smash it to the sidewalk, as long as you bought it and it's legally yours.
Still, coming up with the firmware that allows to make illegal use of the PSP isn't exactly right. As long as it stays "inside" the hacker's house no damage is being done, but the thing is, the hacker makes it available for everyone to have and use, even if he doesn't oblige or encourage anyone to do so. So what exactly are they allowed to do and what aren't they?